Sugar and Spice: The More Things Change
by Misha
Summary: Rory and Christa have grown and changed over the past three years, so much so that they have started to grow apart. As the world changes around them, can the Gilmore-Hayden twins regain their old bond? Sequel to "Sugar and Spice".
1. Prologue: Endings

Sugar and Spice: The More Things Change  
By Misha

Disclaimer- They don't belong to me, I'm just borrowing them for a while. I'm not making any money off this story, so please don't sue me.

Author's Note- I'm back! I took a long hiatus because of some major life changes (I've had two babies in the time I've been away). This story and Christa wouldn't leave me though. While, I always intended to tell the whole story, it was the college years that wouldn't leave me alone. So I'm starting this story in Season Five. Maybe, I'll go back and do the other three seasons, but for now at least I'm continuing Christa's journey. I'm going to break away from the cannon here a fair bit, mostly because I'm not an L/L fan. A lot of things are similar to the show, though there will be a lot of changes as well. It should be easy to follow along though. I hope you enjoy it and thank you to everyone who has reviewed S&S over the years, I've gotten a lot of love for that story and it means a lot to me.

Rating- PG-13

Spoilers- Up to the end of Season Five is fair game.

Summery- Rory and Christa have grown and changed over the past three years, so much so that they have started to grow apart. As the world changes around them, can the Gilmore-Hayden twins regain their old bond? Sequel to "Sugar and Spice".

* * *

Prologue- Endings  
  
_August 2003_

"We leave tomorrow." Logan told Christa, looking at her carefully.

"I remember," she said dryly, "I leave for Yale in two weeks."

"You haven't changed your mind?" Logan asked.

She sighed. "Logan…"

"Sorry," he said, "I know it's the right thing for you. I actually agree."

"You do?" Christa asked, honestly surprised. There had been so much negativity surrounding her decision to not go with everyone else, that she was surprised someone supported her decision. Well, other than her family, of course, who had been furious at the mere suggestion of ditching college to sail around on a yacht for a year.

"Coming with us would be the easy solution," Logan pointed out, "you'd get to hang out with your friends, please Collin, live up to everyone's low expectations for you as the reckless twin, and let you run away from your problems. Again."

"Again?" Christa asked, a little defensively.

"What was this last year in Connecticut if not you running away from your problems?" Logan asked her. "You ran to your grandparents because you don't like your father's fiancé and you don't want to deal with the reality of a half-sister, you slept with Robert because you were mad at Collin, but also because you were afraid you'd cave and you wanted to make sure he wouldn't try and persuade you. You take the easy road, Christa, I'm not criticizing you, most of us do, it's one of the things we have in common. We're the slacker wild children of the rich and privileged, after all. This time, you're not doing that and I respect that."

Christa made a face, but didn't argue with his assessment of her. "I need to do this," she said slowly, "I need to prove that I'm not a screw-up, mostly to myself, you know?" She sighed. "How come you understand me so well and Collin doesn't?"

"Collin doesn't want to." Logan told her. "He's hurt and he's angry and… I think he's also scared, I think you both were, of your commitment, so when this came up, you both used it as an excuse to not have to make it work."

Christa wondered if he was right. She and Collin, it had been so complicated from the start. It was supposed to be no strings, but there'd always been invisible strings, right from the start. It was supposed to blow over, but it had lasted over two years. Neither of them did commitments, but they had tried. Yet, though Christa loved Collin, being committed to him had terrified her, more than she'd wanted to admit and maybe she'd taken the easy road out. She turned from Logan and looked out the window, thinking back to that last fight with Collin.

_Christa was surprised to see Collin's car in her grandparents driveway when she pulled up._

_As soon as she got out of her car, he got out of his._

_"You're finally home." He said dryly, leaning against his car. "Must have been an exciting night."_

_Christa stiffened. So he was going to have it out with her here. Fine. She'd been on edge for days, since their fight and she was ready to have it out._

_"I was at Robert's."_

_There was no surprise on Collin's face._

_"I saw your car there this morning." He told her after a moment. "I dropped into see Robert and I saw your car in the driveway and no one else's. I didn't stick around to say hi, just came here and figured I'd wait for you, I was hoping you'd tell me you just dropped it to see Robert for some weird reason. I've been waiting two hours. Good thing your grandparents aren't home or they'd have probably called the police, I'm sure the maid has considered it."_

_"What do you want me to say?" Christa asked defensively. "We broke up Collin. You broke up with me, remember? You told me that if I didn't put off Yale to sail around the world with you, I obviously didn't want to be in this relationship. Remember?"_

_"Well, given how fast you bounced into someone else's bed, I must have been right." Collin said bitterly. "I wanted to be wrong, Christa. God, I wanted to find a way to work it out."_

_"How?" Christa asked. "Would you have stayed behind?"  
_

_Collin was silent for a long time. Christa took his silence for an answer. "Didn't think so and God Collin, do you actually think we could have made a yearlong separation work? The two of us? At eighteen and twenty-one?"_

_More silence from Collin. Christa laughed bitterly. "I see, by 'finding a way to work it out', you meant getting me to cave." She shook her head. "God, Collin, are you that selfish? That you don't care what's best for me, as long as I go along with what you want!"_

_"I want us to be together!" Collin shouted, "I thought that was what you wanted too! Apparently, I was wrong. After all, why else would you, the self-professed Queen of screwing and slacking off suddenly care about doing the 'responsible' thing? You're never going to be the good twin, Christa, we both know that and I don't think you care—I think it's an excuse. You committed to someone for the first time and you got scared, but you can't admit it, so you found an excuse to call it off and still look like the better person."_

_Christa went white at his accusations._

_"I can't believe that I was actually serious about giving us a shot." Collin said in disgust. "I should have realized that relationships are bad news. I should have learnt that from my father."_

_"I'm not the one running away." Christa said bitterly. "Seriously Collin, my decision to go to Yale isn't about you, not everything is. You know what, maybe I'm just sick of being the screw-up, of living up to everyone's expectations, don't you ever get sick of it or do you like shoving it to your father as your run your credit card up?" She glared at him. "You know what you're right, it was a bad idea. We're a bad idea, maybe we always were. Two screwed up people, with screwed up parents and screwed up ideas of relationships trying to make it work. It was always a bad idea, but you know what I'm trying to be a little less screwed up, obviously I have to do it without you."_

_She turned and walked towards the house, not looking back. But before she reached the door, she heard the slamming of a car door and a moment later the screech of tires as Collin drove away. She got inside the door and collapsed in the front hall, tears running down her face._

  
"Have you talked to him at all?" Logan asked, breaking into her thoughts and putting a hand on her shoulder.

"No." Christa said flatly, turning to look at him. "And I don't expect I will. I think we said everything we had to say to each other two weeks ago."

Logan sighed. "You guys were good for each other, Christa. I'm a huge advocate of 'no strings', but you and Collin, you guys fit together."

Christa smiled bitterly. "Apparently not well enough." She looked up at Logan and her smile turned genuine. "I'm going to miss you, Logan. So much."

"I'll miss you too." Logan told her, placing a gentle kiss on her head. "Be good ok, but not too good?"

Christa laughed. "Ok. And try not to get captured by pirates, ok? Or sink the yacht."

"I'll try, but I make no promises." Logan told her with a roguish grin, making Christa heartache when she realized just how much she was going to miss him. Miss all of them. Even Collin.

Maybe especially Collin.


	2. Chapter One: The New Friday Night

Sugar and Spice: Everything Changes  
By Misha

_Disclaimed in Prologue_.

_Author's Notes- I have had a few people ask me about "Pretty and Perfect". I don't remember giving permission, but it is possible. In the four years since I took my fanfiction hiatus, I've been asked about a few different stories and I generally say yes. I wasn't actively aware of the story until this weekend though and I just flipped through it and I can confidently say that my plans for Christa and Rory are quite different, as my story will branch further from the events of the show._

Chapter One- The New Friday Night

_Late August 2004_

Christa arrived at her grandparents' before Rory and Lorelai. It was the first Friday night dinner of the new school year, after all classes started on Tuesday and on Monday she and Rory would be headed back to New Haven. It was time to get back in the routine.

Not that everything was exactly as it used to be, which was why Christa was headed towards the Pool House and not the Main House. Her grandfather was now living in the Pool House and apparently, Friday night dinners were going to be split between Richard and Emily from now on. It was so strange to think of her grandparents as separated.

That strange picture, the need to make some sort of sense of it, was why Christa had decided to tag along even though she wasn't obligated to attend Friday night dinners, since Francine and Straub were paying for her education out right. Christa knew the Gilmores would do the same for Rory, but her sister was too stubborn, too much like their mother, to take it as anything other than a loan and Christa respected her for that. Respected her, but didn't hold herself to the same standards, she'd played the game with the Haydens for a lot of years and their paying for Yale was just part of it. As was her car, credit card and generous allowance. It was just one of the many differences between her and Rory

"Christa," Richard said in surprise, after she'd been greeted by his valet and brought inside. Christa wondered briefly if the man would stick around of if there would be a new valet by next week. That might just be an Emily quirk, "you're early."

"For once," she said with a laugh, "I have the shortest drive."

"Can I get you a drink?" Richard asked.

"A martini," Christa said instantly, she'd never try it with Emily, who was as stickler for rules, but with Richard she figured she could get away with it.

He smiled and complied. "Are you looking forward to getting back to Yale?"

Christa nodded. "Yeah, it should be a good year."

"Are you enjoying the Life and Death Brigade?" Richard asked, sipping his own martini.

"I am," Christa agreed, "it should be interesting to see what happens this year with Logan and the others back." She and her grandfather had discussed her dissatisfaction with the current state of Life and Death Brigade affairs on a few occasions and she knew he shared her feelings.

"When are they due back?" Richard asked. "Have you heard from them?"

"An e-mail about a week ago," Christa confirmed, "they should be back today, actually."

It was one of the reasons Christa had decided to come to Friday night dinner, to take her mind off the imminent return of the Terrible Trio. Or rather of one member of it. She figured if she didn't distract herself, she'd spend all night staring at her phone, willing it to ring.

"I'm sure you've missed them," was all Richard said, because, of course, it wasn't his nature to pry, "and their return will certainly stir things up, in a much needed way."

"Yes," Christa agreed and was saved from saying anything more by the arrival of her mother and sister.

"You're early," Lorelai said, giving Christa a quick hug, "I figured you'd skipped out on us."

"I have the shortest drive," Christa said with a shrug, taking a sip of her martini. She had moved back in with Francine and Straub for the summer, because she wasn't living with her dad and Sherri and her mom's house was really too small for her the three of them. Plus, Straub's health wasn't great and Francine seemed to appreciate her company. Plus, they didn't expect much of her other than the occasional shared meal, so it was an arrangement that worked well for Christa. After living there on and off since she was sixteen, Christa actually felt very at home there. In a sad way, more at home there than with either of her parents, though she would never tell them that.

Lorelai noticed the martini and gave her daughter a look, but Christa just grinned back and Lorelai sighed and then turned to her father and requested her own drink. Christa saw Rory giving her a strange look, but she ignored it, she was getting pretty good at ignoring Rory's judgement and not letting it affect her. She figured that it was one positive from the mess that had been that past summer.

"So Rory, Christa, the two of you begin your second year at Yale this week," Richard commented once their drinks had been brought to them.

"Yes," Rory answered for both of them, "we move into Brantford on Monday."

"Together?" Richard asked.

"No," Christa answered, ignoring the look on Rory's face at the question. "We're on different floors. Rory is rooming with Paris and I have no idea who my roommate is."

She and Rory had originally planned on being roommates, but after their blow-up at the beginning of the summer, neither of them brought it up, knowing that the option was off the table. Christa knew Rory was hoping that she'd bring it and up and that rooming with Paris wasn't her first choice, but that wasn't going to happen. Christa loved her sister, but their lives were just too different and Christa knew that if they lived together they were just going to fight and after this summer, Christa wanted to avoid that at all costs and she bet Rory did too.

"Well, you're both going to love Brantford College," Richard assured them after a moment, "that's where I lived, you know."

"We know." Rory said with a smile.

"It is the oldest of Yale's residential colleges," Richard continued, "they have these Carillon bells that are enchanting, and it has, what was called by Robert Frost, the most beautiful college courtyard in America."

Christa tuned out the small talk about Yale, since she could care less about whether the college had a nice courtyard, and looked around the pool house. It looked different that the last time she was here, that was for sure. Of course, the last time she was here, her grandfather hadn't lived here. Richard and Emily were separated, it was so strange and sad, as crazy as her grandparents were, they'd always seemed like a set.

* * *

Lorelai suppressed a sigh as she and the twins made their way to the main house. They hadn't even been able to finish their drinks before Emily's maid had barged in and ordered them to the main house for dinner, despite Richard's protests that he'd barely had any time with them.

Except Christa, of course, Lorelai was still curious as to why her daughter had arrived early and what sort of intense conversation with Richard they had interrupted. There had been a few of those this past year, which was odd, as it was Richard and Rory who had the bond, not Richard and Christa. She'd tried mentioning it to them both, but they'd both shut her down and pretended they didn't know what she was talking about, which aroused her curiosity. She tried not to let it bug her though, she'd get it out of Christa eventually; she always did.

Though, she did have something to say about that martini Christa had been drinking. "Did you turn 21 and I miss it?" She asked her daughter lightly.

Christa shrugged, "it was just a martini. I knew Emily would never go for it, but I thought Richard might be game. Turns out I was right."

Lorelai shook her head. Her daughter knew her grandparents, that was for sure. She wasn't really upset about Richard serving Christa a drink, because really her daughter might only be nineteen, but she was in college and Lorelai was perfectly aware that Christa drank on a regular basis and had since before she attended Yale, to be quite honest. Still she felt bound by the Mom Code to at least mention it.

Rory frowned at her sister and looked like she wanted to make a retort, but she stayed quiet. It was something that Lorelai noticed was happening more and more lately. There was a weird vibe between the twins, there had been ever since the night of the Dragonfly's test run. At some point, she knew she'd have to ask, but right now she was trying to let them work it out by themselves, since they were adults.

Emily was waiting for them as soon as they stepped into the main house and they were quickly seated. The conversation faltered immediately as Emily brought up the same topics Richard had and she seemed annoyed that they'd 'wasted' all the good talk on Richard.

"He gets you first, talks you out, and I get three exhausted, empty shells." Emily complained. "You don't have a single thing to say to me."

Lorelai repressed a sigh; apparently it was going to be one of those days. She just hoped that it wasn't sign of things to come. She'd never liked Friday night dinners to begin with, this split might make them unbearable. Of course, she wasn't obligated to come anymore, but she couldn't leave Rory to fend on her own, as much as she might want to and she was pretty sure that whatever curiosity had brought Christa out this week would fade fast and she'd start avoiding them like the plague again. Not that Lorelai blamed her at all.

"Lyle Matthison is having an affair with a twenty-one year old cocktail waitress." Christa blurted out, filling the silence.

Lorelai looked at her daughter with a raised eyebrow, who was Lyle Matthison and why would they care?

Emily's eyes lit up and Lorelai took back her thought, apparently Christa knew what she was doing. "Really? Where did you hear that?"

"Misty Matthison caught him and has been blackmailing him since July." Christa said with a laugh. "We went shopping last week and she was telling me all about it. She's gotten a new car and doubled her allowance because of it. Plus she hates her step-monster, so she doesn't feel guilty keeping her father's secret."

Emily laughed. "Misty always was an enterprising girl. So Lyle's cheating on Cookie, well, I guess what goes around comes around and she's not a perky twenty-one year old anymore. I bet Deborah would be quite interested to hear about this, maybe I'll have to invite her for tea one day this week."

Lorelai repressed an eye roll at her mother's enthusiasm for gossip, but she had to give Christa credit for coming up with the perfect way to deflect her grandmother's ire. The girl had style that was for sure.

* * *

"That was… interesting." Lorelai commented as they left the house and headed towards their cars. They'd all driven separately, since Christa had come from Hartford, of course, and Lorelai had come straight from the Inn, so Rory had driven herself.

"It was horrible and I don't like it," Rory complained. She hated seeing her grandparents like this, apart and so obviously unhappy, and the separate Friday night dinners felt too permanent for her liking. She hated how divided her family was right now, not just her grandparents, but her and Christa as well.

"I know, hun," Lorelai said sympathetically as they reached their cars, then she turned to Christa. "I better see you before you head to New Haven, ok? I need some Mommy/Christa time."

"Definitely," Christa agreed, giving Lorelai a quick hug, "if not tomorrow, then Sunday."

"See you at home," Lorelai told Rory before she got in her car and drove away, leaving the twins by themselves on the driveway.

"Do you have plans tonight?" Rory asked after a moment, "or can I convince you to come back to Stars Hollow for the night? It'd be nice to have a girl's night."

She and Christa had made up from their fight, on the surface at least, but things were still more strained than Rory liked. They'd barely spent any time together since their blow up and Rory really wanted to have a bonding night to fix things and have them go back to answer.

Christa paused, "um" she started and then was interrupted by the ringing of her phone. "Sorry, let me get this." She told Rory just before she hit answer. "Hello? Logan!"

As soon as she heard the name, Rory knew that her hopes for a night of sisterly bonding were dashed. If the Terrible Trio were back in the country, then Christa would definitely want to see them right away, at least she'd want to see two of them. Rory had no idea how Christa felt about her looming reunion with Collin and knew they weren't really in a place where she could ask. Not after their fight at the beginning of the summer.

"When did you get back?" She heard Christa ask. "For sure, I'm actually at Richard and Emily's, so I could be there in ten. Will…? Oh. Ok then. Yeah, I know, Logan and I am a big girl. I'll handle it. I… I just need some time to prepare myself. I can't wait to see you either."

Christa hung up her phone and shot Rory an apologetic look. "Sorry, Rory, I'd love to hang out, but that was Logan. The gang just got back this morning and he wants to catch up with everyone. You're welcome to tag along, if you want."

"No thanks, I need a quiet night," Rory said quickly. She'd been hoping for bonding time with her twin, not drunken revelry. Besides, she'd never been comfortable with her sister's friends and she didn't really like who Christa was when she was with them, or at least who she'd been a year ago, but she knew that if she said anything to that effect it would just cause more problems. "I thought things ended on a bad note between you and the guys," she ventured, unable to leave it completely alone.

"Only with Collin," Christa said softly, "and he's not going to be there. Apparently he's in Switzerland with his dad, so I have some time to prepare myself for that one. I've really missed everyone else though and I'm looking forward to seeing them again, especially Logan."

Christa's voice softened when she mentioned the blonde man and it made Rory curious. She'd always wondered about the bond between them. Her twin had sworn they were just friends and Rory believed her, yet, they were so close. Rory didn't get it, she found Logan arrogant and obnoxious, but he was Christa's friend, not hers.

She just nodded. "Well, have fun," she said, hiding her disappointment. Not only had her hopes for a girl night been dashed, she was also afraid that the return of the Terrible Trio would mean that the divide between her and Christa would grow even larger, but of course, she couldn't say that.


	3. Chapter Two: Return of the Terrible Trio

Sugar and Spice: Everything Changes  
By Misha

_Disclaimer and Notes in Prologue._

Chapter Two- Return of the Terrible Trio, Minus One

Christa rang the Huntzberger's doorbell, eager to see Logan again. And whoever else might be around. Logan had said 'us' on the phone, but Christa had no idea who all that included, just that it didn't include Collin, which she was ok with.

"Miss Hayden, it is good to see you again," the butler said as soon as he opened the door, "Mr. Huntzberger is expecting you, he's in the pool house."

Unlike Richard and Emily, who had a different maid every time Christa visited, Logan's family had had the same butler for years, probably since Mitchum was a child, and he was well acquainted with all of Logan's friends. He knew which ones the family approved of and which ones they didn't and greeted them accordingly. It always surprised her a little that she was always greeted so cordially, but then, while she might be the black sheep twin to most of the world, in the eyes of Connecticut society she was the good one, the one who knew how to play the game.

"Great, I'll see my own way there," Christa said with a smile and instead of entering the mansion, she turned and headed towards the backyard and the Huntzberger's pool house. Once there, she knocked and then, instead of waiting for a response, immediately opened the door. "Anyone miss me?" She asked with a smile as she walked in.

There was a big crowd of people, pretty much everyone in their circle, which made sense since checking the missed calls on her cell phone had revealed that Logan had first tried calling her about five minutes after she had arrived at Richard and Emily's and turned off her cell phone, so he'd had plenty of time to gather the gang, both the returning adventurers and those, like her, who had chosen not to play pirate.

There were several shouts upon her entrance.

"Christa!" Logan exclaimed, rushing over to her and picking her up and swinging her around.

She clung to him for a moment, realizing just how much she had missed him. She always said Rory was her best friend and until this summer that had been true in a way, but no one understood Christa the way Logan did. As much as she'd missed Collin and agonized over how things had ended between them, Logan's absence had left just as large a gap in her life and there had been so many times over the past year, especially after her big fight with Rory, that she could talk to Logan. Now he was here, he was home.

Logan finally set her down and Christa was swarmed by other people calling out her name and giving her hugs. Finn was the last to greet her and he pulled her towards him and kissed her. She returned the kiss, knowing that it was meant in a playful manner.

"Hello luv, miss me?" He asked after a moment with that charming grin of his and for the millionth time Christa asked herself why he couldn't have been the one that made her blood race and her heart stop. It would have been so much easier if she'd fallen for Finn, it was always easier with Finn, lighthearted and fun. Even with their history, things were never messy between them. They'd been able to put their brief fling behind them and stay friends, with a bunch of light-hearted flirting.

Christa grinned up at him. "Desperately," she assured him, "you know I can't live without you, Finn."

"Why would you want to?" He asked, releasing her from the embrace he had her in, but slipping his arm around her waist. "You are my favourite girl, even if you aren't a redhead." He frowned and peered at her. "You'd make a wonderful redhead. You could dye your hair." He suggested hopefully.

Christa laughed again. "I could—I do miss the wild colours." She'd never tried red, she wasn't really sure it was her style. She'd been considering blue, mostly just to watch Emily and Francine freak out, but red was a distinct possibility.

"I was going to ask about that," Logan said with a grin as he sat down on a loveseat, "for a moment I wondered if we had the right twin. What happened to the purple? You look so un-Christa-like without it."

Christa shrugged and settled herself next to Logan and Finn settled next to her on the arm of the loveseat, "I just felt like it was time for a change. I'd had the streaks since my freshman year of High School. It was either get a dramatic hair cut or lose the streaks and I haven't had more than a trim since I was 9, so the idea of cutting my hair was too traumatizing. I do need to do something to do it though, the plain brown is a little too dull for my tastes. It's been profitable though—Francine wrote me a huge cheque the first time that she saw me after I got it was done."

Logan laughed. "Ok, as long as there was profit involved. I was afraid it meant that you had gone good girl on us."

"Never," Christa assured him, "rebel to the bone. I'm the same old Christa, just with different hair."

Logan gave her an appraising look. "Somehow I doubt that," he murmured quietly enough that Christa was sure that only she and Finn heard him and then he grinned, "so how's Yale been in our absence? I trust you've been doing your best to keep things interesting?"

"I've been trying to, but I have big shoes to fill." Christa said with a laugh. "Life will be much more exciting now that you guys are around to liven things up." She paused and then looked right at Logan. "It will make the Life and Death Brigade more interesting too. It hasn't quite lived up to his name."

Christa felt comfortable mentioning the LDB despite her vow of silence, which she took seriously, because she knew almost everyone in the room was a member already. The few who weren't, were Legacies and would be joining this year and most Legacies knew about the LDB ahead of time, their parents taking great pride in the initiation, like Richard had with her.

There was silence following her words as everyone processed what she was saying and then Logan burst out laughing. "Here I was thinking we'd have to initiate you this year and I should have known that you'd have figured it out on your own. I thought they would have tried to keep you out though, since the current council all has sticks up their asses. Who brought you in, Ryan Davies?"

Christa shook her head. "No."

Logan pursed his lips. "Ok, there's no way Brandon Adams would approach you."

It was Christa's turn to burst out laughing. "Hell no. If he could have gotten away it, he'd have denied me entrance, but I'm a Gilmore and that means I'm a Legacy member and he had to let me in. Hell, I think the LDB rolls are the only place other than my birth certificate where I'm recorded as Christine Gilmore-Hayden."

"That sounds like Brandon Adams," Logan said, "but then how did you find out? Am I missing someone? Davies and Adams, along with Andrew Hubert, another blowhard and one without the guts to cross Adams, were the executive members when I left, which is a terrible shame since Davies is the only one who had even the slightest inkling of what the Life and Death Brigade should be and he was powerless against Hubert and Johnson, who is another of Adams' type and practically pushed Adams into his spot. We'd already decided to leave, so we didn't fight it as hard as we should have."

"Andrew Hubert ended up leaving Yale for family reasons and there was an empty spot and it was summer and the rebels were able to organize themselves fast apparently and Daniel Prescott got the empty spot," Christa confirmed.

"Prescott!" Logan said in delight. "Of course, he has the standing and while, we're not close, he's fun and of course, he'd know you from parties."

"Yes, but he's not the one who brought me in, though apparently he had planned on it," Christa said with a laugh, "My grandfather let me in on the secret and had me inducted with the Alumni Council before school started and even Brandon Adams doesn't cross Richard Gilmore."

Logan laughed. "For some reason that never occurred to me, though it is often how it is done, but I wasn't sure if he'd tell you or not, since..."

"My relationship with my grandfather isn't exactly warm and fuzzy?" Christa filled in. "It's weird, this has been a strange bonding experience for us. He was so proud to be able to bring me into the LDB. I think he feared that the Gilmore line would die out and he'd never get to pass on his membership, since Mom didn't go to college, let alone Yale and he was the first to admit that Rory isn't LDB material, which made it even more special." She knew it made her sound a little petty, but her Gilmore grandparents had always favoured her sister, so it was nice to share something special with Richard that was just hers. For once it was ok that she was the rebel wild child.

Logan reached out and squeezed her hand, telling her he understood, but then Logan always understood. He really was her best friend and she was so thrilled to have him back.

"Back to the point," Andrew said brusquely, "how exactly did Prescott manage a council spot?"

"As I said, Hubert withdrew in the summer, rumour has it is that his family emergency is that he's been banished after being caught in bed with his step-mother," Christa said with a smirk, "anyway, from what I understand a lot of LDB members were away for the summer. Adams was in Europe, on the coast of France and didn't bother coming back, but apparently Daniel managed to rouse enough of the rebel base and he is a legacy member, even if his family isn't one of the founding families and he got enough members for an emergency vote and there are a lot of people who hated the way the LDB had been run the last few years, not just you miscreants, and he got their support. But he's just one man and pretty helpless, since Davies doesn't have the stones to go up against Adams', even with support."

"I bet Adams' wasn't happy about that at all," Logan said with a smile.

"Oh no, he was pissed," Christa confirmed, "but not as pissed as he will be when you claim your spot this year. Dan says to tell you he's looking forward to watching you take on Adams' and his crew and that he'll step down for you and he knows Ryan would too."

"Already planning my coup?" Logan asked with a grin.

Christa shrugged. "It makes sense. As a Huntzberger, you have seniority. Your family was one of the seven founding families, which automatically means that you can claim a space on the council unless the spots are all filled by founding Legacy members and none of the current council members are from founding families. As far as I know of the seventy current members of the Yale LDB, there are only three members from founding families, two of whom are eligible for council spots."

Logan, Seth, Robert and a couple of the others caught on immediately and began to laugh. Even Stephanie was grinning, as she too clearly figured it out.

"What's so funny?" Juliet demanded after a moment. "Who are the founding families? Beside the Huntzburgers?"

"The seven founding families were the Huberts, Huntzbergers, Jamisons, O'Henrys, Kents, McCraes and Gilmores." Logan said jubilantly. "Andrew Hubert is gone, the only Jamison decedent in our age range ended up at Princeton for some reason, the Kent boy would have graduated and his sister turned down LDB membership her first year and there are no O'Henrys in our age group. That leaves Collin, Christa and I. Technically, Christa's sister Rory qualifies as well, but she has not been offered membership and won't be."

"Why not?" Rebecca Hall, who was not someone Christa had ever socialized with much and would have no reason to understand Gilmore family dynamics, asked, "I mean isn't it tradition to at least ask all available Legacy members? I'd think, since we're planning a revolution, we'd want as many members on our side as possible."

"It is the tradition, yes," Logan agreed, "but it's not a rule and I think the fact that Richard Gilmore has chosen not to say anything to his granddaughter, as would be his right as Alumni council member, means we have no obligation. Rory is a nice girl, but she'd never be considered for LDB membership on her own merit and I have had enough interaction with her to know that she likely wouldn't accept it anyway."

Christa shot him a grateful smile, she knew it was petty, but the LDB and her circle were _hers_ and she didn't want to share them with Rory. Plus Rory was so judgemental about so many things, there was no way she would join a group that was all about breaking the rules.

"My sister is also a stickler for rules and is a reporter for the Yale Daily News," Christa added, "a combination that means it definitely better that she is kept in the dark."

Rebecca shrugged, letting the subject go.

"Back to the point," Stephanie said, "Collin and Logan are both eligible. Christa is the third Legacy member from a founding family, but as a sophomore and a woman she is not eligible, however the boys automatically qualify for council spots."

"Almost all of us in this room are Legacies," Robert continued, "which means that most of us will be eligible to vote. We should be able to mobilize enough support and hopefully sway some of the neutral voters to at least be able to oust Brandon Adams, even if we have to replace him with someone neutral rather than a member from our ranks."

"Keeping Davies would be acceptable," Seth commented, "keeping Prescott would be preferable or replacing him with another person from this room, but the goal is to oust Adams, everything else is a bonus."

"So we're reclaiming the LBD?" Rosemary asked excitedly.

"We are," Logan told her triumphantly, "no more LBD existing just to further political aspirations, but once again it will be the source of adventure it was meant to be." He picked Christa up and spun her around around. "This year is going to be epic and one of the first things we're doing to do, once we get in power, is see about changing the charter and the rule barring female council members. That way, next year you can take your rightful place and we'll be able to make sure that once we graduate we're leaving the club in good hands."

Christa laughed, her arms tight around his neck. "Don't you need alumni approval to change the rules?" Though, she did like Logan's plan, the idea of power appealed to Christa, though she would have been content to be the power behind the throne, so to speak, and let Collin and Logan do the dirty work.

"We either need a strong majority of the standing alumni council, so six of the nine members, or we need three members from founding families and one other member." Logan pointed out, setting her down on her feet."The majority might have been a hard sell, but my grandfather likes you better than he likes and Collin's father adores you and then of course, there's your grandfather. That's three. I'm sure between them they can get one of the other council members to agree."

Christa burst out laughing as she removed her arms from Logan's neck."I love it. You are going to give Brandon Adams a stroke though. He's going to hate you for this Logan."

"Christa, I've known Brandon Adams since preschool and he's hated me ever since. At this point I don't think there's anything could do that would stop him from hating me," Logan said dryly. He paused and gave her a considering look. "From the sounds of things, you must have had a few run-ins with him."

"Oh, yeah." Christa told him, rolling her eyes. "He was very vocal about his opinion of me and his objections to my inclusion in the LDB, even though there was not a damn thing he could do about it."

"And what was his opinion of you?" Logan asked in a low, even voice.

"Well, first of all, I should have been denied membership on the basis that I'm illegitimate." Christa said, rolling her eyes. There was protests from her friends and she laughed, "don't worry, criticisms about my birth don't faze me and while Brandon Adams has no issues making those complaints to my face—he'd never dare say them to my grandfather. He's obnoxious, not stupid."

"That's not all of it though, right?" Logan asked carefully.

"No," Christa acknowledged, "he made it clear he considers me a troublemaker since I run with your crowd. He was quite shocked that I hadn't joined you on your 'year of debauchery', his exact words by the way, after all wasn't it my job to warm your beds? He seemed to think it was public knowledge that I've slept with all the men in this room."

"Oh, how I wish that was true." Andrew told her with a lecherous grin and Seth chimed in his own comments, as did a few of the other men.

Robert stayed silent, but shot her a look that made her uncomfortable, because of course she had slept with two of the men in the room, not just the one that everyone knew about. As far as she knew, only she, Robert, Collin, Logan, and possibly Finn, were aware of her night with Robert. It hadn't been her finest moment, that was for sure, and she would always be grateful to Robert for being so good about it afterwards.

"That's ridiculous!" Stephanie snapped. Christa turned to look at the blonde in surprise, after all, Stephanie was the last person she expected to come to her defense. "Brandon Adams is a judgmental, prudish misogynist." Stephanie raged. "He wants the LBD to go back to being the Old Boys club it used to be, ruining the spirit of it by making it all about political aspirations and not about wild adventure. As for his statements about your sex life, sleeping with Collin and Finn don't mean you've slept with all the men in our group, he's an idiot, and even if you had, what's the issue? No one judges any of the boys for how many women they've slept with."

"True," Christa agreed, grinning at Logan who looked back at her innocently. "As you said, he's an idiot. I dealt with him and now you guys are back and we'll bring an end to his reign of terror."

"Sounds like a plan." Logan agreed and everyone else echoed the sentiment.

Christa looked around at her friends and for the first time in a year, she felt at ease. Though, not completely, because as wonderful as it was to have her friends back and to plot a coup over the LBD, her inevitable reunion with Collin was still looming ahead of her. But that was a problem for later, right now she wanted to celebrate.

"Logan," she said with a laugh, "I've been here ten minutes and I still don't have a drink."

"A travesty," he agreed, leading her to the bar. Christa allowed herself to soak in the company and the conversation and told herself she'd worry about everything else tomorrow.


	4. Chapter Three: Catching Up

Sugar and Spice: The More Things Change  
By Misha

_Disclaimer and Notes in Prologue._

Chapter Three: Catching Up

"How have you been this last year?" Logan asked the next day as he and Christa took walk around the Huntzberger estate.

Christa, along with most of the others, had stayed the night since the party had gone on well into the early hours of the morning. Most of the others were gone now, needing to make token appearances with their families before returning to Yale, only Finn and Christa had remained. Finn would be dead to the world until late afternoon, unless he had changed drastically in the last year, and Christa had stayed to catch up with Logan.

"Not bad," she told him, "Yale's been interesting; though not as much as it'll be this year with you guys there. I really missed you all."

"We missed you too," Logan assured her, then his expression turned serious, "Collin most of all."

Christa froze and let out a long sigh. She wasn't ready to think about Collin yet. "Logan…"

"You can't avoid him forever," he pointed out.

"I know," Christa answered, "and I don't want to. I just… I guess I'm hoping we'll be able to pretend nothing happened and we can go back to being friends."

Logan raised an eyebrow. "Is that what you really want?" He asked her. "Besides, were you and Collin ever 'just friends'?"

Christa sighed once more. "We were supposed to be. It was supposed to burn out, Logan. We were going to have a thing and then we'd tire of each other and move on to the next conquest and just end up friends, no hard feelings. It wasn't supposed to get so intense or last three years and it wasn't supposed to hurt when it ended. I wasn't supposed to miss him every day and yet dread the day I'd see him again, all at the same time."

"It wasn't easy for Collin either." Logan told her quietly. "He's missed you too, it's obvious. I mean, there were other women, I'm not going to lie to you, but… It was obvious that he was thinking about you constantly."

"I thought about him too." Christa acknowledged. "Every day. I mean, there were other guys, but… Nothing serious. No one who could compare to Collin." There had never been anyone who could compare to Collin, Christa thought, but didn't say out loud.

"How is Daniel Prescott going to react to Collin being back?" Logan asked abruptly.

Christa understood the hidden meaning of his question. It didn't surprise her that Logan had guessed about her relationship with Daniel, probably from things she had said last night. Logan knew her better than anyone, after all. "He'll be fine with it. I think he expects things to go in that direction, not that they necessarily will, after all it's been a year and Collin and I didn't part on the best of terms. However, if they do, it won't break Daniel's heart." She said with a shrug. "No strings, remember?" She made a face. "Collin was the only guy who's ever broken that rule."

"And you're the only girl who's ever broken his 'no strings' rule," Logan reminded her.

"Since when do you play matchmaker?" Christa asked, trying to change the subject.

"Only when it involves two of my best friends," Logan told her. "You and Collin both mean the world to me, I want you to be happy and I think you were happiest when you were together."

"You're sweet," Christa said with a smile. "I knew there was a reason I missed you so much."

Logan smiled. "I missed you too." He stopped walking and looked into her eyes. "Is everything ok, Christa, I mean, besides Collin?"

"It's been a rough few months here," Christa acknowledged.

"How are things with your dad?" Logan asked.

"Better," Christa told him, "he's in Hartford now. My grandfather is sick, so Dad took a transfer to Hartford to be close, which is out of character, but I think Straub appreciates it—though he'd never say so. Sherri was furious, since it meant she had to take a transfer as well. They've been fighting ever since."

"And you'd be devastated if they broke up," Logan commented dryly.

"Ok, no," Christa admitted, "I want Sherri out of my life. But Gigi's cute and at this point, the damage has been done. Mom and Dad had their moment and I don't think they could get it back. Even if Sherri was out of the picture forever, which realistically she won't be, because she'll always be Gigi's mother."

"So you've adjusted to being a big sister?" Logan asked. "Last I heard, you barely acknowledged her existence."

"It's not her fault she ruined my life," Christa said with a laugh, "and she is cute. I don't feed her or change her diapers, but I like buying her cute things and playing with her."

"You said Straub is sick?" Logan asked her after a moment, changing the subject away from Gigi.

"He doesn't have much time left," Christa acknowledged, "we all know it, but no one is talking about it. It's hard, he's so cold and distant and I hate how he treats Rory, but he's always been there for me. It's strange to think that soon he'll be gone.

"I don't know how I'd feel if it was my grandfather," Logan admitted, "I hate him at times, but I love him too. Family is such a complicated thing sometimes."

"Tell me about it." Christa said vehemently.

Logan gave her a startled look. "That sounds like there is something going on besides your dad and your grandparents."

"Well, Richard and Emily have separated," Christa told him and then went on to explain their new living arrangement.

"I don't think that it's your grandparents that have you so tense," Logan commented, looking her in the eye.

"Rory and I had a big fight," Christa confessed, "at the beginning of the summer. We both said some pretty horrible things to each other. It hasn't been the same between us since."

It felt good to get that out. Normally she would tell Lorelai everything, but she hadn't wanted to put her mother in the middle. She was pretty sure that Rory was also staying silent about their fight. Oh, it was obvious that Lorelai knew that something wasn't right between the twins, but she didn't know the details and Christa didn't want to be the one to enlighten her. She had friends of course, but no one she felt like confiding her family problems to, until now. Now that Logan was back, she could finally get it off her chest.

She poured out all the ugly details of the fight. Logan raised an eyebrow when she mentioned Rory's affair with a married man, but he didn't say anything until she was done talking.

"You have had a rough year," was his only comment, "probably not what you expected when you set out to find yourself."

"No." Christa acknowledged, with a small smile, "it's been hard, but it's been good for me too."

"I can see that," Logan said quietly, "you've changed, Christa. It's subtle, but it's there. I'm sorry about your fight with your sister, though, I know how close you've always been."

"Yes, but we've also always been opposites," Christa told him, "and I think we both expected the other to suddenly change and become more like ourselves. I kept expecting Rory to lighten up a bit and she expected me to live by her rules. Yet, the first time she does something out of character, I freaked out on her, so, in my own way, I'm as judgemental as she is. I know I have to talk to her and hash it out, but I just can't."

"Why not?"

Christa sighed. "Because of the things she said about Collin and I. She wasn't wrong, I made a disaster of things and I just, I don't know if Rory and I can work things out until I figure out where Collin and I stand. If that makes sense."

"It does." Logan assured her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, "so you are going to talk to Collin?"

"Well, I can't avoid him forever." Christa acknowledged. "I don't know when, but I will talk to him. I have to, though I have no idea what I'm going to say or what the result is going to be, so don't get your hopes up."

"I don't have to," Logan told her cockily, "I know you and Collin."

Christa rolled her eyes. "Well, at least one of us has faith. Enough about me and my problems, tell me all about life on the boat. I heard a rumour about it sinking and you guys living on huts on the beach?"

Logan grinned. "Yeah, that was fun. Seth's dad didn't agree, after all it was his boat, but…" He then launched into the tale of how it had happened and Christa found herself laughing hysterically in response. Oh yes, she had missed her boys desperately and she was so glad that they were back.


	5. Chapter Four: The Differences Between Us

Sugar and Spice: The More Things Change  
By Misha

_Disclaimer and Notes in Prologue._

Chapter Four: The Differences Between Us

Rory was sulking and she knew it. It was Monday morning and she was about to leave for Yale and she still hadn't managed to have any quality time with Christa. Not only had she disappeared Friday night, she'd been out of contact Saturday. Sunday she came to Stars Hollow, but to spend time with Lorelai.

Rory didn't begrudge her mom the quality time with Christa, but she'd have liked some for herself. She'd suggested that Christa stay the night and they could stay up chatting like they used to, but her twin had declined, stating that she still needed to pack and get everything ready for the morning. It made sense, but it still felt like an excuse to Rory.

Rory had really wanted to clear the air before they went back to Yale. She knew they'd be able to see more of each other at Yale, but she also knew that with the Terrible Trio back, Christa would be even busier than usual and that she might not get the sister time she desperately needed. She was also afraid that the return of Christa's friends would just widen the gap between the two of them and she had no idea what to do about it.

"You ok, huh?" Lorelai asked in concern, as she helped Rory back up her car.

Rory sighed. "I just… I wanted to hang out with Christa, just the two of us before we went back to Yale."

Lorelai smiled sympathetically. "She hasn't been around as much. When's the last time you two had twin time?"

"Before I went to Europe," Rory confessed, "we had a huge fight the day after the Dragonfly opening and even though we made up, things haven't been the same. She's been avoiding me ever since."

She'd never told her mom about the fight and she was pretty sure her twin hadn't either. It was just too ugly, too personal, too raw to share with anyone, even their mother. It was the first serious fight the twins had ever had and Rory was afraid that they'd never be able to move past it, that her sister would never forgive her for the horrible things she had said. Yes, Christa had said some harsh things, but Rory knew that didn't forgive what she had said. She had been angry and embarrassed and she'd lashed out at Christa and she didn't know how to make it right.

"I've noticed that you guys seemed tenser," Lorelai commented, "what was the fight about?"

"I called her a slut and told her that she had no right to judge me for sleeping with Dean when she's slept with God knows had many people." Rory confessed. "Then, I commented that she knew nothing about love and relationships and that she had no right to judge my mistakes, because she'd only ever had one relationship and she'd made a mess of that."

Rory knew that was where she'd made her fatal flaw. Oh, it had been petty and judgmental to throw Christa's sex life in her face, but bringing Collin into the mix was the real sin. Rory hadn't heard Collin's name pass Christa's lips from the night she had told them they broke up to the night of their fight, it had hurt her that much and Rory's harsh words had poured salt on that would and she'd regretted it the moment she had said them.

Lorelai was silent for a long moment. "Oh, Rory," She said finally, looking serious and sad.

Rory closed her eyes, not wanting to meet her mother's faze. "I know I was wrong," She said passionately, "I was just upset and not used to Christa being so judgmental and I lashed out. I've been trying to fix it all summer, but she won't let me. How do I make it ok?"

"It's not one of those things that you can just fix." Lorelai said softly. "You have to give it time. You can't expect Christa to just forgive you right away. You know Collin is a sore spot with Christa, that what happened between them still hurts and as for the rest, you might not have meant it consciously, but Rory, it's obvious to everyone that you don't approve of how your sister lives her life and I think that's where the insult came from. You might have just been lashing out, but some part of you meant it and Christa knows that."

Rory cringed, knowing her mother was right. She did disapprove of Christa's life, of the constant partying and the rotating circle of men. "Her life is so foreign to me," she confessed, "she's my twin, but sometimes I don't understand her at all."

"You two are identical, but you're not the same person," Lorelai reminded her. "You and Christa are as different as night and day and always have been."

"I just don't understand the choices she makes," Rory lamented, "I don't want to judge her, but… I don't understand it."

"As I said, you're different people," Lorelai said quietly, "and you've had very different lives. You don't have to understand Christa's life, you just have to accept it. I know it's hard right now and you wonder if you'll ever be ok, but as different as you two are, you've always been best friends and Christa knows that you love her. She'll come around, I'm sure of it, just give her time."

Rory hoped her mother was right, because she really missed her sister. She might never understand Christa, but she knew now how much she loved her and needed her in her life.

* * *

Christa headed to her new suite to unpack and settle in. She looked around the common area, her furniture had already been delivered, hopefully her roommate, whoever she was, didn't have too much stuff. Of course, most people were happy with the default furniture that Yale provided, but Christa knew from last year that it would be awful and that was why she made arrangements to bring her own and put the other stuff in storage. For example, they expected you to sleep on a tiny single bed. No thanks, Christa had brought a double, she would have preferred a Queen, but it was a pretty right fit as it was, so she had to make some sacrifices.

Since there was no sign of her roommate, she claimed one of the two rooms and began to unpack her personal belongings and figure out exactly what she wanted to do with the room and what she still needed to pick up.

All in all it wasn't too bad for a dorm, but she'd already decided that next year she was getting an off-campus apartment. She probably could have pressed for it this year, but she didn't feel like living alone and living with Rory wasn't going to happen.

She frowned at the thought of her sister, but before she could start thinking too deeply about Rory and their fight, she heard a noise in the common room and realized her roommate had arrived. She went into the common area, eager to introduce herself to the girl she'd be sharing quarters with for the next year—hopefully she wasn't too awful. She grinned when she saw who it was.

"Juliet!" She exclaimed, rushing over to give her friend a hug. "You're my roommate? I assumed you and Rosemary would be together."

"She gets Stephanie instead," the blonde explained with a laugh, "Rose and I decided us girls should stick together this year, it'll help us handle the boys better. Everyone knows you and Steph would kill each other though, so Rosemary and I got our fathers to pull some strings and make some last minute changes to the room assignments. We got the idea after you mentioned on Friday that you wouldn't be rooming with your sister."

"This is wonderful!" Christa exclaimed, kicking herself for not coming up with the idea on her own. Somehow it had never occurred to her to room with one of her fellow troublemakers, maybe she still wasn't used to the idea of them being at Yale with her. None of the girls she had met last year through the LDB had made enough of an impression for her to want to live with them, but Juliet was different. She and Rosemary, and even Stephanie, were part of Christa's inner circle. It was going to be strange this year having them back, but in a good way.

"Isn't it?" Juliet asked with a grin. "It's brilliant really. I couldn't have a roommate from the general populace, none of us can if you think about it. I tried it in first year and there were too many incidents, mostly caused by our loveable male companions." Juliet said, rolling her eyes. "Would you believe that some people find them a little much? Plus, Logan and Finn between them slept with all my flatmates and that made things awkward."

"I can see that." Christa said with a laugh.

"It's impossible to control those boys," Juliet complained, "and impossible to make someone who's not used to them understand their ways."

"I get it," Christa said with a smirk, "even with you all gone, it was interesting, with my LDB activities and all and last year was much tamer than this year is going to be." She realized that she'd never considered the idea of how she would have handled a 'normal' roommate and her crazy boys. Thankfully, she wasn't going to have to. "Though, you and I living together just gives the boys double the opportunity for trouble." She pointed out with a laugh.

Juliet grinned. "True, but we know how to handle them. Actually, that's why you got me for a roommate and not Rosemary, because we realized that if the two of you roomed together then Finn would be here permanently, you'd never be able to get rid of him. At least this way, he'll have to split his time between the two of you, well, when he's not off participating in the drunken debauchery, of course."

Christa laughed at the image of Flynn camped out in the dorm, but the reply she was about to make was cut off by a knock on the door. Christa and Juliet exchanged looks and smiled. It had to be one of the gang, Juliet had obviously given Rosemary the room number and Christa had already texted it to Logan and Finn, so it was likely one of them.

"Company already, that's fast," Christa commented to Juliet as she opened the door and then she froze, because it wasn't Logan or Rosemary at the door. It was Collin.

"I'm going to go see how Rose and Steph are settling in," Juliet said, slipping past Collin.

Christa barely noticed her absence, she was completely wrapped up in Collin's arrival. "Collin." She said after a long moment, just staring at him, drinking in his presence. Seeing him again had reminded her how much she had missed him.

He didn't say anything, instead he yanked her into his arms and kissed her deeply. Almost against her will, Christa found herself wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him back. It was funny, they had been apart for over a year, but now that she was in his arms it felt like no time had passed. She knew they had a lot to talk about, but she couldn't make herself break the kiss, not when it felt so right. After all, he was Collin and she was Christa and they just fit.

They made their way to the couch, still connected at the lips. The kiss grew deeper, more demanding and hands tugged at clothing, desperate for skin contact. After a few moments, as the embrace got more and more intense, Collin finally pulled away, definitely out of breath. "Maybe we should move this to your bedroom?" He suggested with a grin.

His words were like a douse of cold water and they brought Christa out of the passionate fog she'd been in. What in the Hell was she doing? Collin showed up at her door and she just threw herself at him without question? It felt like all the progress she'd made this last year had evaporated and they were right back where they had left off. And while, physically it felt incredible, rationally Christa knew that they had to talk before anything else happened. If it happened. After all, a year was a long time.

"What are we doing?" She demanded, pushing Collin off her and getting off the couch. "It's been a year Collin! A year! You can't just walk back into my life like nothing ever happened and expect to pick up where we left off! It doesn't work like that! Besides, if you've forgotten, we broke up and when you left we were barely speaking to each other!"

Collin stood up and ran his hands through his hair. "I know." He closed his eyes, obviously trying to regain his composure. "I didn't come here intending for what just happened to happen. I came here to see you, just to talk and then, I saw you and…"

"Yeah," Christa agreed wryly, then she sighed, "as I said, it's been a year. A lot has changed. Hell, I could have a boyfriend for all you know."

Collin shrugged. "If you do, then I'll just have to pursue you until you break up with him."

"Collin!" Christa exclaimed, charmed despite herself. Same old Collin.

Collin took her face in his hands. "I've missed you Christa, too much to put into words. Yes, there have been other women this last year, but not one who could make me forget you. I came back knowing I needed to see you, to make things right and to get you back."

Christa looked into Collin's eyes and saw his sincerity. She didn't know what this meant for them or where they went from here, but… He was right, she was Christa and he was Collin and that meant something. It always had.

She turned away from and walked towards her bedroom.

"Where are you going?" Collin called after her.

She turned around and gave him a slow, sexy smile. "I'm taking your suggestion and moving this to my bedroom. Are you going to join me or what?"

Collin didn't need any more encouragement and in a moment she was back in his arms. Christa lost herself in his kiss, wondering how she'd managed to survive a year without him.

* * *

Christa smiled up at Collin, "that was…"

"Amazing," he finished for her, placing a kiss on her forehead, "but then, it always is with you, Christa."

"I missed you," Christa admitted, snuggling closer to him. "I didn't want to. I tried my hardest to forget you and move on, but I couldn't."

"What about Daniel Precott?" Collin asked quietly. "I've been hearing some rumours that you two were quite friendly last year."

"We were." Christa said honestly. She wasn't ashamed of her relationship with Daniel or any of the relationships she'd had this past year. They were what they were. "However, he isn't you Collin and it's not anything I can't walk away from. You're the only one I've never been able to walk away from."

"But you did," Collin said softly, sitting up.

Christa sat up as well and wrapped her arms around herself. "And it nearly killed me," she told him, "telling you that I wasn't going with you was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I had to do it though, I had to go to Yale last year and figure out who I was without you guys and I don't regret it, I do regret how we left things though… Sleeping with Robert to hurt you, it was one of the worst mistakes I've ever made and I'm sorry, Collin."

"Its ok," he told her, "I took it worse than I should have. We'd already broken up, it was already ugly between us and reacting the way I did just made it worse. Hell, I'm surprised you let me in the door today, I was pretty big jerk about everything."

"I was pretty bad myself," Christa admitted, "I've spent this last year regretting what I did and what I said and wishing that we'd parted on better terms… I know that we had to break up, I needed this year at Yale and you needed the year away, but I wish we had parted on better terms. That was the hardest part of this year, thinking that everything between us was broken and couldn't be fixed. There were other men, Collin, of course there were, but there was no you."

"It was the same for me," Collin told her, "I regretted my words as soon as we left. I spent a year wishing I could take it all back. As you said, our breaking up had to happen, we needed different things this past year and more than that, I think we needed the time apart. We did the commitment thing without any idea of what it would entail and it happened too fast and we got scared. Then, we each had to do what was right for us, but I was jerk about it and we were both stubborn so it went badly. This year, yeah there were woman, but not as many as there could have been, and I missed you the whole time, even as I tried to forget you. This year taught me that I'm ready to be in a committed relationship, as long as it's with you."

Christa stared at him. She hadn't expected this, at least not so soon. Their ending up in bed together was inevitable, but she had assumed they would just go back to a casual arrangement and while she wasn't sure that was what she wanted, she figured it was a start and it could lead them back to what they'd had before. She'd thought they'd both need time to figure out where they stood. Apparently, she'd been wrong. It was crazy, but... "I can do it if it's you." She told him softly. She knew they still had a lot to talk about, but this was a great place to start. She and Collin had been casual, they had been serious, they had been apart and all of that, it had given them a foundation and now they could build upon it and figure out what their next step was. Maybe they were finally ready for something serious.

"Apparently we needed a year apart to grow up," Collin told her, seeming to read her mind, "I mean, I still plan on being impossibly irresponsible, as my father puts it, but I can do that and still be in a committed relationship. Though, on the downside, it'll please my father, according to him dating you was the only smart decision I've ever made. He wasn't pleased when we broke up."

Christa laughed. "Yes, he told me how stupid you were." Collin raised an eyebrow. "He was at my LDB initiation," she explained and Collin nodded in understanding, "speaking of the LDB has Logan told you our plans?"

"He did," Collin said with a grin, "apparently he and I are planning a coup. First meeting is next week, expect fireworks."

"So how does it work, exactly?" Christa asked, snuggling against him. "I know that you and Logan can demand executive spots, but can you decide who steps down?"

"Unfortunately, no." Collin told her. "It's a vote, Legacy members only. We're going to try and oust Adams of course, but he's done a lot of networking and there are a fair number of people who share his mindset on how things can be run, so it could be tricky. About 75% of the LDB will be able to vote, including most of our crew, minus Finn and Rosemary, so it should be close. The next few days will be about networking, trying to hit up all the undecided votes."

"Practicing for a career in politics." Christa said with a laugh.

Collin shuddered. "Thankfully, my father expects a lot of things from me, but a political career isn't one of them. That's Robert's future, not mine." He pulled her in closer. "You were here last year, what the consensus on Adams?"

"About 50-50," Christa told him, "half the members seemed to like the Old Boys political network, while the rest of us craved adventure."

"Well, one way or another, this year will get that," Collin promised her, "the best is yet to come."

Christa grinned up at him. "Yes, it is." She agreed, leaning up for a kiss, which Collin returned eagerly. Collin and the rest of her boys were home, they were about to take back the LBD and she and Collin were together. Life was pretty sweet indeed and she couldn't wait to see what would come next.


	6. Chapter Five: Getting Back to Normal

Sugar and Spice: The More Things Change  
By Misha

_Disclaimer and Notes in Prologue._

Chapter Five: Getting Back to Normal

"Hey babe, how's the settling in going?" Lorelai asked as soon as she answered her cell phone and saw that it was Christa calling. She'd already talked to Rory, who still seemed moody, being on her own probably didn't help since Paris was still in England dealing with the death of her old-man boyfriend, not that Paris' presence guaranteed joy.

"It's been quite a day," her wild child told her.

"Tell Mommy," Lorelai urged, eager to hear the details of her daughter's day.

"Well, first of all, I'm rooming with Juliet this year." Christa told her. "She and Rosemary decided us girls should stick together, so she and I are together and Rosemary is with Stephanie. I got Juliet, because well Steph and I aren't exactly best friends and if Rose and I roomed together—"

"Finn would be your permanent third roommate," Lorelai interrupted, knowing all about the loveable Australian. "That might put a kink in your love life."

There was a long pause on Christa's end.

"I take it your new roommate isn't your only news?" Lorelai teased, knowing that something had to be behind the happiness in Christa's voice, though she had a guess what it might be.

"Collin and I are back together." Christa confirmed. "He came, we kissed, then we talked and we realized that we made some mistakes, but we needed to grow up and we really, really care about each other."

Lorelai was silent for a moment, processing the information, though really she had been expecting it. Collin wasn't her favourite person, but she knew that he meant a lot to Christa. She'd seen her daughter this last year without him, heard the happiness in her voice now, and she knew that meant that she could only have one response. "That's great, babe."

"Do you meant that?" Christa asked softly. "I mean, I know that you haven't always been Collin's biggest fan."

"Well, I didn't love him when he tried to get you to put off college and sail around on a boat." Lorelai admitted. "But if he makes you happy, then I'm happy. I've seen you with Collin and without him, hun, and you're a lot happier with him."

"The year without him was good for me though," Christa told her, "it was good for both of us. We agreed that we needed this year apart. We needed to grow up, you know? We had to do that away from one another and let us see how much we needed each other."

"I can understand that," Lorelai said softly, thinking of Christopher and how she kept keeping her distance, giving him time to grow up because she knew that it wouldn't work otherwise and when he finally did, when they were finally ready for each other… Well, it hadn't worked out. Lorelai had moved on, she had her first date with Luke and she was eager to see where things would go between them, and Christopher was engaged to Sherri and as far as she knew they were happy. Christa didn't mention her father all that often and Lorelai didn't ask and now that the girls were grown and in college, she and Christopher didn't communicate at all. Still, even though she had let go of the past, she knew she'd always feel some regret and she was glad that fate seemed to be kinder to Christa. Maybe Collin wasn't who Lorelai would have chosen, but her opinion didn't matter, Christa's did and it had been obvious from the start that Collin was Christa's Christopher, except this time it looked like there'd be a happy ending.

"Sherri and Dad are having problems," Christa said suddenly, as if reading Lorelai's mind. "When I was there last, they were fighting over Sherri's job and whose responsibility it was to look after Gigi. She's still mad at him for taking the job in Hartford and there's still no wedding date."

"Christa, honey, your dad and Sherri's problems aren't any of my business," Lorelai scolded her and then sighed, "whatever happens between them, and for Gigi's sake I hope they can work it out, it doesn't change anything between your dad and I. That ship has sailed, babe."

Christa sighed. "I know. I just… I wish it hadn't. I just… I can't help but think about how different things would have been if Sherri hadn't gotten pregnant. You and Dad would be married now, I'm sure of it."

"Maybe," Lorelai said cautiously, "but we'll never know. It wasn't in the cards for us, Christa. Sherri did get pregnant and your sister is adorable."

"She's ok," Christa admitted, "I still hate her mother though."

"I don't think anyone has ever thought otherwise," Lorelai said dryly. "But don't think about Sherri or your dad or me. Just focus on school and Collin and whatever trouble your boys are dreaming up. Also, please don't get arrested."

Christa laughed. "I'll do my best. I actually have to run now, I'm supposed to meet Collin and the gang for dinner. Love you Mom."

"Love you too," Lorelai said and then hung up the phone with a smile, trying to forget about what Christa had said regarding Sherri and Christopher. As she'd told Christa, that ship had sailed.

* * *

Rory knocked on Christa's door bright and early their second day back at Yale. Brighter and earlier than her sister usually liked, actually, but she didn't want to risk Christa not being there. She was done waiting for Christa to come to her, she was going to force her twin to talk to her.

She had hoped that Christa would come and check in last night and that they might spend their first night back at Yale together, but that hadn't happened. She had gotten one text from Christa with her room # and that was it. She'd tried calling her sister's cell, but it had gone to voicemail. So, as soon as Rory got up, she'd decided to go wake Christa and make her have breakfast with her.

As soon as the door opened, Rory understood the reason why she hadn't been able to get a hold of her sister the night before. Because, instead of Christa or her roommate, she was greeted by a familiar male form.

"Didn't fall overboard, I see?" Rory asked dryly, knowing that Collin's presence in Christa's room so early could only mean one thing. Obviously, their reunion had gone well. Rory wasn't sure how she felt about that, but she also knew that it wasn't any of her business and that if she said anything negative, it would only make her fragile relationship with Christa worse.

"I can swim," Collin said with a smirk, "babe, your sister's here," he called out, stepping aside to let Rory into the room.

Christa emerged from the bathroom, fully dressed. Her hair was still damp and it was obvious she had just gotten out of the shower. She smiled when she saw Rory. "Hey, Ror, here to see about getting breakfast?"

"Yes, actually," Rory said, a little surprised. As soon as she'd seen Collin, she'd expected Christa to blow her off again, but her sister seemed friendlier than she had in months.

"Do you mind if I bail on breakfast with you and the boys and eat with Rory instead?" Christa asked Collin.

Collin nodded. "Go ahead. Logan, Finn and I have to get to work anyway. Lots of plans underfoot." He said mysteriously. "I'll give you a call later and fill you in and I'm sure we'll all be getting together at Logan's at some point today."

"Sounds good," Christa told him and gave him a quick kiss. He clasped her hand for a moment and nodded at Rory and then he was on his way.

"So you and Collin?" Rory asked as soon as he was gone, trying to keep her voice casual.

Christa smiled, her whole face lighting up. "Yeah. We both agree that we'd needed the time apart, because it made us realize we're better together. So here we are. I think this time it'll work, because we've had a chance to grow up and to realize how special it was between us." Christa paused and bit her lip. "Rory, I owe you and apology for being so harsh about Dean. Yeah, the circumstances weren't ideal, but if he's the one then I don't blame you for going after him. Sometimes, there are people you just can't get out of your system and maybe you and Dean needed to make some mistakes and have some time apart as much Collin and I did."

Rory was quiet for a moment. She had no idea where she and Dean stood, she'd been avoiding him since coming back from Europe. It had seemed so right the night of the Dragonfly opening, but when the heat of the moment had passed, she saw how complicated it really was and she had no idea what to do about it. Still, right now, she wanted to focus on her sister and the fact it looked like things were going to be ok between them.

"I was wrong too," she admitted, "about you and Collin. It wasn't a disaster. It wasn't fair of me to judge you like that."

Christa smiled and held out her arms and Rory stepped into them, giving her twin a big hug. She might not be Collin's biggest fan, but if his return was the reason that she and Christa were on good terms again, well, she'd have to give him another chance. Besides, it didn't look like he was going anywhere and Rory wasn't going to risk losing Christa again, so she'd have to learn to like Collin.

"So what's your roommate like?" Rory asked after a moment. She wondered how that was going to work. The idea of Christa living with a stranger was fairly comical, given how crazy her life tended to be whenever her boys were around.

"She's me," a pretty blonde, who Rory knew by sight and not by name, answered, emerging from her room. Ah, so not a stranger. Apparently, Christa had ended up with one of her friends, which made Christa's life easier no doubt. Though, Rory was a little hurt, given how adamant Christa had been about not being **her** roommate.

"Rory, you've met Juliet," Christa introduced, "she and Rosemary decided that our boys shouldn't be inflicted on the general public, so they arranged it so us girls get each other as roommates."

So it wasn't Christa's idea, then; that made Rory feel slightly better. "Hi."

"Hi," Juliet said with a nod and then turned her attention back to Christa. "Did Collin leave already?"

"Yeah, a few minutes ago, he's gone to meet up with Logan and Finn and he said he'll call later." Christa answered. "He figures we'll all meet at Logan's later today."

"Ok, well I'm going to go bother Rose and Steph," Juliet told her, "if Finn's occupied then they may still be asleep and unbothered this morning and we can't have that. Text me when you hear from Collin, k?"

"Will do," Christa agreed.

The blonde nodded at Rory once more and then she exited, leaving the twins alone once more.

"What's going on?" Rory asked after a moment. "That was all very mysterious."

Christa shrugged, but avoided meeting Rory's gaze. "You know how it is. Fun to be had, parties to be planned, that sort of thing."

Rory narrowed her eyes, deciding that she didn't believe her sister. Something was up. Now was it just the normal hijinks that seemed to be standard with Christa and her crew or was it something more? Things were shaky enough between her and Christa that she wasn't going to push for more information, but she filed the incident away since her reporter's instincts told her something was up. "Breakfast?" She asked lightly, changing the subject.

"Sounds like a plan." Christa said with a smile, following her out the door.

* * *

"The womenfolk are here, now the party can start!" Finn announced as soon as Christa, Stephanie, Juliet, Rosemary and a couple other girls arrived at Logan's apartment where the boys were already gathered.

"Well, how can there be a party without us?" Stephanie asked with a grin.

"You ladies do add a certain scenery to the room." Collin pointed out with a friendly leer. "It's a little bleak with just us menfolk."

His words were greeted with laughter, but Christa could see that everyone was waiting for her to react, even if the comment had been in response to Stephanie. Apparently, her reunion with Collin wasn't yet public knowledge.

Christa grinned and stepped towards Collin and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Glad to know that you're only with me for my looks." She teased. "Miss me?"

"Always," he confirmed and gave her a long, deep kiss that had their friends groaning and catcalling.

"Seriously, Christa, you took this idiot back?" Andrew teased, "and I thought you were a smart girl."

"What can I say? I've always been a sucker for a pretty face." Christa said with a laugh, as she and Collin settled into a chair

"Then why are you with Collin?" Seth teased, making doe eyes at her. "I mean, we all know that I'm much prettier."

"In your dreams, Kingston." Collin said, wrapping his arm possessively around Christa. "Find your own woman, this one is spoken for.

There was a sea of well wishes from their friends, everyone seeming genuinely happy for them. Even Stephanie offered her congratulations with a smile, making Christa wonder if the torch had finally gone out. Juliet had confirmed that Collin and Stephanie had definitely **not** hooked up during their year at sea.

"So what's the plan of attack?" Christa asked after a moment. "I got a text that there's a Legacy meeting next Monday evening. That's when the council spots will be determined right?"

"Right," Logan agreed, "though since every member of last year's council is still at Yale, protocol is that a vote is just a formality. However, our return is a well-known fact, so Adams and his cronies will be preparing for an attack. I expect there will be full attendance at the meeting, since all multi-generational Legacy members would have been given the notice to be there to vote. There will be a general meeting later in the week."

"Do you think Adams knows that you will be forcing a vote?" Juliet asked. "I mean, I've never thought that he was too bright, so maybe we're giving him too much credit?"

"He's an asshole, but he's not stupid." Logan told her. "He may have his own vision of the LDB, but he knows the charter as well anyone. I'm sure he's prepared for Collin and me to claim our spots, so he'll have rallied his support. He can't block us, he knows that. However, he also know that he'll be our target and that's where he'll fight us. Ideally, we want Adams' out and Prescott would be our first choice for the third council member, but that doesn't seem likely. Davies will appeal more to the neutrals, which is who we need to win over, and our first goal has to be getting rid of Adams. We have less than a week and we need to organize the vote. Everyone needs to rally up as many people as , we need you to touch base with Prescott."

Christa nodded. "Of course." She spared a quick look at Collin, but he just smiled and nodded.

"Steph, I need you to talk to Angela Mathers," Logan continued.

Stephanie groaned. "Motor-mouth Mathers?" She whined.

"She's a Legacy and she knows everything about everyone," Logan pointed out, "we need her on our side."

"Why do I have to do it?" Stephanie asked.

"Because she likes you," Juliet told her, "she hates me and she really hates Rosemary."

"Why?" Christa asked curiously. She knew Angela through the LBD of course and she seemed nice enough, though Christa wouldn't call her a friend, and Stephanie was right about the fact that she never shut up.

"Because she wants to sleep with Finn and thinks Rosemary is the reason she's not interested, not the fact that she's horrid," Stephanie said dryly, then her face lit up, "Finn should be the one to talk to her! She'd do anything for him."

"No!" Finn exclaimed in horror.

Logan nodded, considering the suggestion. "Steph has a point, you are the most likely to talk her over to our side. However, you are also incapable of tact, so Steph can go with you and make sure you don't end up alienating her."

Stephanie and Finn both pouted, but didn't argue. Christa bit back a laugh and leaned against Collin as Logan continued to bark out orders. He was a good general, surprisingly, and she could already see that he was going to do a good job as council head.


	7. Chapter Six: Plans Underfoot

Sugar and Spice: The More Things Change  
By Misha

_Disclaimer and Notes in Prologue._

Chapter Six: Plans Underfoot

"Hello gorgeous," Daniel greeted when Christa met him for coffee Wednesday afternoon. "It's been a while."

"It's been a crazy summer," Christa said non-committedly. The truth was, she'd avoided Daniel for the last few weeks because she'd known that Collin was coming back at the end of the summer and she'd wanted to get her bearings together to deal with that. She'd needed to figure out whether things stood without any outside complications and now she knew.

"And now the boys are back in town," Daniel said dryly, as if reading her mind, "I don't have to be psychic to know that means our arrangement has changed."

Christa smiled, trust Daniel to get straight to the point. "It has," she agreed, "Collin and I…"

"It's ok," Daniel assured her, cutting her off, "I don't need to be let down gently. I always knew Collin would come back one day and I had an idea of where things would go. I saw you guys together before, remember? I know how it was with you two. You practically set the air on fire. That sort of intensity doesn't just burn out overnight. Besides, you and I had fun, but it was never serious."

"Thank you," Christa said, grateful that there would be no hard feeling between. Though, she honestly hadn't expected any, since she and Daniel had agreed to keep it casual and they had both seen other people this past year.

"Now, since you didn't ask me to meet you so you could get your hands on my body, I assume you have information about the LDB." Daniel said, leaning back in his chair.

"Well, it _is_ a great body, but you're right that's not why I'm here" Christa said with a grin. With his reddish brown hair, green eyes and athletic body, Daniel was easy on the eyes. He'd also been fun in bed and she'd enjoyed their time together this past year, but at the end of the day, he wasn't Collin. She did value Daniel as a friend though and always would. He helped her stay sane this past year without her boys. "As I'm sure you've guessed, Logan and Collin are claiming council spots."

"I think every member of the LDB is counting on that," Daniel said with a laugh, "I mean, if you know the rules, you know that they're eligible, and it's no secret that Huntzberger and Adams hate each other. Logan isn't going to the LDB in his hands, the question everyone is wondering is who gets the third spot?"

"We're trying to figure that out," Christa told him.

"It's going to be a fight," Daniel commented, "you can't let Adams get it. Not just because he's a prick, but because it's a headache for Logan and Collin. They'll have a majority, but Adams can still challenge any decision they make and take it to the Alumni council. That was what tied our lands last year, well that and the fact that Ryan refuses to make enemies, so he wasn't going to cross Adams and instead just went along with everything he said. I was actually able to override a few things because of the alumni council, your grandfather is an awesome and terrifying man, but having to defer to the council, would definitely be a roadblock for Hutz and the way he'll undoubtedly want to run things."

"The boys have thought about that," Christa commented, "they're working on mobilising as many people as possible. That's where you come in, since you know all the new members and he doesn't. He'd also like to ask a favour of you."

"He'd like me to consider stepping down." Daniel guessed.

"Yeah," Christa said softly, "he wants you to know you're his first choice, but if you step down then the vote is just between Davies and Adams and we think the moderates will vote for Davies. If they have to vote between the three of you, it's a lot messier and there's a bigger chance of things not going our way. They'd love to have you on the council with them-"

"That would never fly," Daniel interrupted with a laugh, "its ok. Tell Logan, it's a done deal. I already figured out I had to step down. I only lobbied for the spot because Huntz and the boys were gone and there was a void. I figured whatever little I could do, and it ended up being very little, to save the club, I had to try. However, management isn't my thing and I'm happy to step back and just be a member."

"The boys will be relieved," Christa said with a smile.

"I'd like to keep it under my hat though," Daniel commented, "I think its most effective if Adams' is blind sided with the news. So let's make it sound like I'm still campaigning to keep my spot."

Christa laughed. "That's brilliant, hopefully, it'll throw them off. Will you spread the word for us, mobilize whoever you can?"

"Of course," Daniel promised her, "now that we've covered LDB business and gotten our personal business out of the way, how about we enjoy some coffee and you can fill me in on anything interesting that happened while you were avoiding me?"

Christa laughed and began to fill Daniel in on one of her most recent adventures in Stars Hollow. Like most of her society friends, Daniel loved to hear stories about the weird little town her mom and Rory called home.

* * *

Rory returned to her dorm room Wednesday afternoon, fuming after a run-in with Logan and his crew. She had been out with Marty, catching up on his summer, and they had run into Christa's obnoxious friends. They'd been polite to her, but they'd said some condescending things to Marty, who used to bartend for them. It had reminded her again why didn't particularly like any of them. However she knew better than to mention it to Christa, because her sister would just defend them.

She was also bored. It was early in the year, so she didn't have too much school work to keep her busy. She had the paper, but again, it was early in the year and she couldn't spend all her time there. Paris didn't seem to be back yet, which was good for Rory's sanity, but not for her boredom. It didn't help that Christa had warned her she'd be busy "getting reacquainted with Collin", since Rory had no idea to hear about her twin's sex life, she hadn't pressed for details and just accepted that Christa was going to be MIA this week.

However, while she accepted it, she didn't like it. Especially since it meant she was alone in her dorm without anything to do other than study. There were a few people could go catch up with, like Tanna and Janet, but she didn't really feel like it. She was still in a weird headspace from the summer and didn't know how to fix it.

Just then her phone rang, catching her off-guard. "Hello?"

"Is this Rory Gilmore?" A strange female voice asked.

"Yes," Rory answered slowly, "who is this?"

"Consider me a source."

"A source for what?" Rory asked cautiously.

"The story of your college journalism career," the girl on the other end said, "I can't tell you much. But I've heard you're a smart girl and you can piece it all together."

"Piece what together?" Rory asked, searching for a note pad.

"I'm not supposed to be talking to you at all," the girl told her.

"Talking to me about what?" Rory asked. This was a very surreal conversation.

"Secrets," the girl said mysteriously, "every _society_ has them." There was a definite emphasis on the word society.

"Is this about a secret society?" Rory asked excitedly. That would definitely be a great story if she had a lead on a Yale secret society.

"_In Omnia Paratus_." The mystery girl told her. "That's your clue. Follow it and see where it leads you. We'll see if you're as smart as they say you are." With that she hung up and Rory was left with the dialtone.

Rory stared at her phone. That was interesting. It was the sort of scenario she had fantasized about, being tracked down by a secret source and given top secret information, but it had never actually happened to her before. Of course, she didn't have much to go on, but what she did have was interesting. The idea of a secret society was intriguing and plausible. Rory thought about her only clue: _In Omnia Paratus_, which meant "Ready for Anything" in Latin.

It was obviously where she should start looking. She figured she had a lot of searching to do. At least it would give her something to distract her and keep her mind off of Dean. She still hadn't really talked to him since getting back from Europe. He and Lindsay were separated and that was her fault, but she didn't know where they went from here or even where she wanted them to go.

Between Dean and her fight with Christa, she'd had too much on her mind lately and that was one of the reasons she was so excited by the idea of a juicy story. Now she had something to focus on other than her own life.

* * *

"So Daniel will announce his resignation at the meeting," Christa told Logan over dinner, "he's hoping to keep it quiet until then."

"Yeah, that works perfectly with our plans." Logan told her. It was just the two of them, everyone else was off net-working. Collin and Finn had planned on joining them, but Finn had had a crisis and Collin was dealing with it. Christa wasn't sure of the details, but she knew she'd find out the whole story later. So, instead she was going to their apartment after dinner.

"What do you think our chances are?" Christa asked him.

"At this point, it's anyone's guess." Logan told her. "I think we have a good chance though, especially since we're aiming to keep Davies and not Prescott. That will appeal to the members who don't like Adams' way of running things, but don't necessarily approve of my style either."

"The moderates." Christa commented.

"Yeah," Logan agreed, "I think they're actually the biggest base and the ones we need to court."

"What happens if we lose and Adams stays in?" Christa asked. "You and Collin would still have the majority."

Logan sighed. "Technically, yes, but its more complicated that. The structure of the LDB council require unanimous agreement, otherwise the dissenter can petition for the Alumni Council to weigh in on decisions and that means a bunch of old, stodgy men. I'd rather avoid that if possible."

"Yet, you thought you could convince the Alumni council to change the rules about female council members," Christa reminded him.

Logan grinned. "Only because it's you and we have three alumni council memberships from founding families who all adore you. However, that doesn't mean would agree to most of my plans for LDB. My grandfather disapproves of how I live my life, and no doubt that includes the way I plan to run the LDB. The only thing I think he would agree with me on is having you as a council member and only because he thinks your the best thing that ever happened to me. I think my family still hopes that one day we'll decide that we're more than friends and that I'll fall in line with their plans andmarry you. They're going to be upset when they find out you and Collin are back together."

Christa laughed. "Well, I_ am_ a twin, you could always marry Rory, instead." She joked, knowing that would never happen.

Logan rolled his eyes, "not likely. I don't think your sister likes me."

"Oh?" Christa asked curiously, she wasn't aware that Logan and Rory had had enough contact for her twin to like or dislike her best friend.

"We had a run-in earlier, actually." Logan told her. "She was a bit offended by a few things I said to her friend Marty. Well, mostly it was Finn and Robert, but she seemed to blame me."

Christa shrugged, not caring to hear the details. She could imagine the scene and she knew both Rory and Logan well enough to know that Rory could be easily offended and her that Logan and their friends could come off as obnoxious. Besides, she didn't really care if Rory liked her friends or not. Quite honestly, she was happy to keep her two worlds as separate as possible.

"Speaking of Rory, her name has come up quite a bit these last few days," Logan told her, "a few people have suggested her as a possible member, while several others don't love her connection to the Yale Daily News. I'm wondering if Adams' and his crew are planting that seed, because there's some suspicion thrown on you there, wondering if you can be trusted to keep the vow of secrecy."

Christa rolled her eyes. "Like I'd tell her anything." She loved her twin, but Rory could be judgemental and there was no way she'd approve of Christa's LDB activities.

"I know that," Logan told her, "as I said, I think those rumblings are coming from Adams' camp to discredit you, the guy really hates you, Christa. Is there more to it than you mentioned before?"

"Well, I wouldn't sleep with him," Christa said, rolling her eyes. She sighed and looked at Logan. "There is a story, but I don't want to go into it. Let's just say, he doesn't like to take no for an answer."

Logan narrowed his eyes. "What did he do?"

"Nothing," Christa assured him, skirting over the details, "my mother made sure I was well prepared to deal with creeps like Adams, don't worry. However, he's not used to rejection and he took it personally. The fact that I was sleeping with Daniel, plus my connection to you guys, didn't help."

Logan didn't look convinced. "You'd tell me if he'd done something, right?"

"I would," Christa assured him and she was telling the truth. If Daniel had actually hurt her, she'd have told Logan and Collin, but they didn't need to know about his unpleasant, persistent advance and childish reaction to rejection.

"Back to the subject of Rory," Logan said, though he was still frowning, "I figured I should at least mention that her name is coming up. You seemed pretty adamant last week that you didn't want her to be offered membership."

"I don't." Christa told him. "I love my sister, but I need a separate life from her. We had a good talk yesterday and we're going to be ok, but… We need separate lives. I don't interfere with her work at the Daily News and I want her to stay out of my world, especially the LDB."

"That's reasonable," Logan told her, "honestly, she wasn't on my radar for membership unless you wanted her to be. At this point I don't think one vote really matters, plus it's grey area whether her vote would even count because while she's a sophomore, she'd still be a new recruit. So, I see no need to offer her membership."

"Thank you," Christa told him, then she frowned, "if Rory's position at the Yale Daily New is an issue, what about you? You'll be re-joining the paper won't you."

"Unfortunately," Logan said, rolling his eyes, "however, I sit at a desk and pretend to work to make my father happy. You can hardly call me a real member of the newspaper staff, plus not even Adams' is going to call my loyalty into doubt." Logan sighed. "As I said, your sister is a non-issues, it's all politics. This experience has been an eye opener and it makes me glad that I'll never run for political office."

"Collin said the same thing," Christa said, reaching for another fry. She frowned when she realized they were all gone. She looked over at Logan's plate, which was still half-full, "are you going to eat all your fries?"

Logan laughed and picked up his burger, "go ahead," he said, motioning to his plate. Christa happily grabbed it and switched it with her empty plate, causing Logan to laugh again. "I've never seen anyone who could eat as much as you. It's amazing, especially since you look like you do."

"That's because you don't know my mother or sister that well," Christa told him, "it's a Gilmore thing."

"Well then, it's a good thing Rory isn't for LDB membership," Logan joked, "it'd be impossible to provide enough food for two of you."


	8. Chapter Seven: The Company We Keep

Sugar and Spice: The More Things Change  
By Misha

_Disclaimer and Notes in Prologue._

Chapter Seven: The Company We Keep

"Hey Rory, what's up?" Christa asked later that night. She was surprised Rory that was calling, since she'd warned her she'd be offline. Christa knew Rory thought that she was off having lots of sex with Collin, which was partially true, but really it was because she was tied up with LDB stuff and of course she couldn't tell Rory that, so she'd come up with an excuse.

"I'm not… interrupting… anything, am I?" Rory asked hesitantly.

"Are Collin and I having hot monkey sex right this minute?" Christa asked with a laugh that deepened when Rory made a disgusted sound. "No, currently I am in a perfectly respectable position." Well mostly, she amended silent. She was, in fact, naked and curled up in Collin's bed, but she was currently alone in the bed, but that wasn't what Rory was asking. "I know you didn't call just to inquire about my sex life, so what's up?"

"What are your plans tomorrow night?" Rory asked desperately.

"I have plans with Collin, why?" Christa asked.

"Paris has decided to throw Asher a wake. Here, in our dorm." Rory said with a sigh. "She shanghaied me into helping her."

Christa started laughing. "She wants to throw him a wake? Didn't his family do that?"

"She says that she wants to give his students a chance to remember him," Rory said patiently, "really, she's the one that needs the chance to grieve. She's hurting, Christa."

Christa sobered. She felt genuinely bad for Paris, it must be terrible to lose your lover, even if he was geriatric. "How is she doing?"

"She's Paris," Rory said dryly.

"Well, our world would be a boring place if she was anyone else," Christa acknowledged. She wouldn't say that she and Paris were friends, but they tolerated each other for Rory's sake. Besides, Christa had to admit, she found Paris wildly entertaining—after all, she wasn't the one that had to live with her.

"So can you stop by and help?" Rory asked hopefully. "Marty said he'd stop by, but you handle Paris better than he does."

"What time?" Christa asked. Logan had asked her to talk to Marty the next day anyway, see if he was free to bartend on short notice. Logan had decided to throw a party to sway some of the undecideds over to their cause.

"It starts at six," Rory told her.

"I can come by around seven and stay for maybe half an hour and then Collin and I have plans." Christa told her, since she couldn't exactly say "I'm busy planning a take-over over the super-secret society I belong", she had to improvise. Logan's decision to throw a party with three days' notice meant that Christa and the other girls were running around wildly, making sure the party would be up to LDB expectations. However, she could take a small break and pop in to support Rory and Paris.

"Thanks," Rory said gratefully, "well, I'll let you get back to… whatever… Have a good night."

"I will." Christa promised and hung up just as Collin back into the room.

"Party stuff?" Collin asked her.

"My sister," Christa corrected, "I've told you about Paris right?"

"She went to Chilton with you, right? Gave Rory a hard time, socially anxious, borderline insane, etc.?" Collin asked, sitting down on the bed next to her.

"That's her," Christa confirmed, "she and Rory are roommates this year and anyway, she was daring a professor and he died and now she's decided to throw him a wake. Rory wants me to go."

Collin raised an eyebrow. "And your sister says you have weird friends." He said dryly.

"No, my sister says I have irresponsible, obnoxious friends," Christa corrected, "which I do. Logan says she had a run in with him and Robert and Finn today."

"Yeah, Finn mentioned it," Collin told her, "well, he mentioned that he met Rory today and since I know her and I know our friends, I assumed it didn't go well. When is this wake?"

"Tomorrow at six," Christa told him, "I'll pop by around seven, give Rory a support, pass on my condolences to Paris and then exist. I told her we had plans."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Collin asked her.

Christa shook her head. "No. I have to do damage control with Marty, see if he's free to bartend this party. I don't know if he was offended by the run-in, but Rory was apparently offended on his behalf and well, you…"

"Can come off as an obnoxious ass," Collin commented, "and the bartender and I have a history, so yeah, you probably should go on your own."

"His name is Marty," Christa scolded gently, wrapping her arms around him. She paused and looked up at him, frowning. "You're wearing too many clothes."

"I generally don't like wandering around my apartment naked," Collin told her, "in fact one of the only house rules Finn and I have is the agreement that we will always wears clothes in the public areas."

"That rule is really for Finn isn't it?" Christa teased as she eased Collin's t-shirt over his head.

"God yes," he agreed, stepping out of his boxers. "Because if we didn't have that rule, he'd run around naked all the time and I don't want to see that. You, on the other hand," he said with a leer, "you can run around naked anytime you like."

"Oh can I?" Christa asked with a grin, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I take it you like the view?"

"Oh, yes." Collin said huskily, lowering her to the bed.

* * *

"Marty, you came!" Rory said with relief, as her friend made his way through the throng of college kids lingering about. The room was packed with people, most of whom were ignoring the stacks of books Paris had set up, and were instead, focusing on their alcohol intake.

"Interesting crowd," Marty commented, giving the room a once over.

"Yeah, most of the people have no idea that they are a wake," Rory told him, "They all think it's some sort of weird theme party. More and more of them keep showing up and bringing more and more alcohol, so far Paris seems to have no clue though, which is good."

"There are way more people here than I expected," Christa commented as she joined them, "either Professor Fleming had a fan club or no one read the flyer and just assumed flyer = party." She looked at crowd. "I'm going to go with flyer = party."

"Yeah," Rory agreed ruefully. She looked at her sister, noticing something was different about her. "Your hair!" Her sister's hair had been plain brown, just like Rory's but much longer, a few days ago, but now it had dark blue streaks. She currently had it braided and the streak looked very eye-catching.

"I needed a change," Christa said with a shrug, "Francine and Emily are going to hate it, but I like it."

"It's very pretty," Rory commented, she couldn't imagine doing that with her hair, but it suited Christa. "And very blue."

"How is Paris doing?" Christa asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

Rory was about to answer when the girl in question came over to them. "Marty! Christa! Thank you both for coming, please help yourself to a book." Her eyes narrowed when she took in Christa's short black dress. "That how you pay your respects, with lots of leg and cleavage?"

"I have a date in an hour," Christa said calmly, Rory figured by now she was used to Paris' insults, "but I wanted to come by and see how you were doing."

Paris deflated. "I appreciate that. I'm very pleased with the turnout. I mean, I knew he was beloved, but this was overwhelming."

"Professor Fleming was a great teacher," Christa said, placing an arm around Paris' shoulder. "He'll be greatly missed by all of Yale, but I'm sure you'll miss him most of all."

"Asher died right at the height of my passion for him," Paris mused, "I kind of wonder what would have happened if he had lived. Would I have stayed in love with him forever? Or would it have burnt out in time? He died before I could find out and now I'll always be in love with him. He's my Mike Todd."

There were tears in Paris' eyes and Christa gave her a squeeze and then Rory gave her a hug.

"It's like soap operas," Christa said softly, "the only couples that ever stay in love are the ones where someone died. Then it's perfect forever. Now with Asher, you'll have that perfect love. Besides, I'm sure your Richard Burton is right around the corner, though hopefully with a little less drinking, fighting and divorce."

Paris smiled gratefully at Christa and was then distracted by the new arrivals.

"How long before she figures out this is a party?" Christa asked after Paris had left them. "I'm surprised there's no keg yet."

Rory shrugged, "she's Paris, so hopefully never."

Christa grinned and then turned to Marty, "I haven't managed to say hello to you yet, Marty. Sorry about that. How was your summer?"

"Weird." He told her. Rory smiled, thinking about what he had told her about his family drama. "And yours?"

"Quiet," Christa commented and Rory looked away, still embarrassed by their fight, though she was glad that they seemed to be have moved past it. "It's getting more interesting now though. Logan says to tell you he's sorry if he offended you yesterday, but he wants to hire you on Saturday night. Double your normal rate plus a bonus if you're free, since he knows it really short notice. We're throwing this thing together last minute, its running me a little ragged actually. Logan was going to call and ask you himself, but Rory mentioned you'd be here, so I told him I'd talk to you."

Rory was surprised that Logan had mentioned their run in to Christa, though maybe he figured that she would and he'd wanted to get his side of the story out there. Personally, Rory thought a second-hand apology was a little lame, but at least it was something. Besides, as he'd pointed out when she'd run into him earlier today and yelled at him for his treatment of Marty, Marty worked because he needed the money and Logan probably paid well.

"Yeah, I'm free." Marty said instantly. "I wasn't taking anything this weekend because it's the first week back, but at double pay, of course I'll take it."

Christa smiled. "Great! I'll have Logan call you in the morning with all the details. It'll be a fairly big party, so lots of tips."

"That crowd usually does tip well," Marty commented and Rory sensed that he was a little embarrassed about the fact that he bartended for Christa and her friends. It had come up when she and Marty had first met, and he had mistaken her for Christa, and Rory sensed it every time her sister and Marty were together. One of the things Rory resented about Logan and his friends was there snobbery and the fact that they had this sense of class barrier, where they felt they were better than Marty because he had to work to afford Yale and they didn't. Rory didn't think Christa felt that way, she'd always been very nice to Marty, but he definitely didn't feel entirely at ease with her and it made Rory a little sad.

"I have to go," Christa said after a moment, giving Rory a quick hug, "Good luck keeping Paris in the dark. Marty, it was nice to see you again, and I'll see you on Saturday." With that she disappeared into the crowd.

"Do you want to bartend this party?" Rory asked Marty after Christa left.

"No," Marty said honestly. "I kind of hate those guys, but I can't afford to turn down double my normal rate and as I said, they are great tippers. Even if they are all jerks." He blushed, realizing what he said. "Not your sister, though. She's not like you, but, Christa's nice. Why does she hang out with that crowd?"

Rory shrugged. She'd been asking herself that question for four year since Christa had met Collin and his friends. If people were judged by the company they kept, what did it say about Christa that she hung around with a bunch of rich, obnoxious jerks?


	9. Chapter Eight: The More We Learn

Sugar and Spice: The More Things Change  
By Misha

_Disclaimer and Notes in Prologue._

Chapter Eight: The More We Learn

"Hey babe," Lorelai said, answering a call from Christa, "Tell me you're calling to say you're coming to see me this weekend."

"Yes, but it's a flying visit," Christa told her, "I'm heading to Hartford tonight to have dinner with Straub and Francine. I have to be back in New Haven tomorrow night since Logan is having a party and I'm helping plan it. So I have to be back late afternoon, but I thought I'd come down to Stars Hollow for lunch and then head back."

"First week back and already a big party, that's my girl," Lorelai commented, "I'm surprised you're coming down at all."

"I wanted to see Straub," Christa told her softly.

"I can understand that," Lorelai said softly. She knew that Christopher's father was sick and while she had many issues with the man, she felt bad, especially since she knew Christa loved him. "Are you going to see your dad while you're there?" She knew things were better between Chris and Christa now that Chris was living in Hartford, but Christa still hated Sherri, which made things occasionally awkward.

"Nope, Dad left today for California and he's gone for 10 days," Christa told her.

"You're not going to stop in and visit Sherri?" Lorelai teased.

She could practically hear Christa rolling her eyes. "No. Francine mentioned that the nanny was bringing Gigi over tomorrow morning, so I should get to see her at least."

"The nanny," Lorelai mused, "Sherri doesn't like your grandparents?"

"Other way around," Christa commented, "you know how Straub and Francine are. They aren't impressed that Dad had another baby without being married and they don't like the fact that Sherri won't set a wedding date. Plus, some things were said when I decided to live with them instead of staying in Boston with Dad and things between them and Sherri have never recovered. So, Dad comes on his own without Sherri or Gigi comes by with the Nanny."

Lorelai was quiet, she didn't know the details about what had been said between Sherri, Chris and the Haydens at the time, but she could guess. She remembered her own conversation with Chris, when he told her that Christa would be staying in Hartford for her last year of high school.__

"Chris," Lorelai said coldly as she answered his call. She hoped he was calling to talk about Christa, otherwise she was hanging up. He'd been trying to apologize for weeks and it was just making the situation worse. Things were what they were. Sherri was pregnant and that meant he had to stay with her and that meant he and Lorelai couldn't be together. It hurt, but she was trying to move on, however Christopher was having a hard time letting her. Unfortunately because of Christa, and a lesser extent Rory, she couldn't avoid him completely.

_"Christa's decided that she's moving in with my parents." Christopher announced, getting straight to the point._

_"What?!" Lorelai exclaimed. She knew things were bad between Christa and her father since Sherri had announced that she was pregnant, but this took things to a whole new level._

_"She told me that she hates Sherri and she's not living with her. I guess she went to my parents and told them the same thing and they gave her the option of living with them until she graduates high school." Christopher said with a sigh. "They've already re-enrolled her in Chilton and re-instated her allowance. I got told this morning, basically it was presented to me as a done deal and I didn't really get a say."_

_"Of course you get a say, you're her father!" Lorelai reminded him. "Are you going to let her do this?"_

_"What choice do I have, Lor?" Chris asked, sounding defeated. "She'll be 18 in November. Besides, Sherri has leapt at the opportunity. You know that she and Christa don't have the best relationship and Christa has been really unpleasant to live with these past weeks and Sherri's afraid her 'negative energy will affect the baby' and that since Christa wants to leave, then it's obviously the best decision for everyone."_

_Lorelai was a little hurt that Christa hadn't asked to live with her and Rory. Though, to be fair, she probably would have advised Christa to try and make it work with her dad and Sherri. "I'm sorry, Chris," she said after a moment, knowing he must be feeling hurt and angry and hopeless. She might despair at his absence in Rory's life, but he'd always done his best by Christa and she knew this had to be killing him._

_"She's barely talking to me," he said softly, "she's so angry and she's shutting me out. Hell, she'd rather live with my parents than with me. My parents. God, I couldn't wait to get out of that house and she's running there. That's how much she hates me right now."_

_"She doesn't hate you," Lorelai said softly, "she's seventeen and she's hurt and angry and confused. It'll get better, Chris, I promise."  
___

Lorelai would never like the Haydens or forgive them for the way they'd treated Rory, but she was weirdly grateful to them for all they had done for Christa, including giving her a safe place where she felt at home. Plus, it was oddly gratifying to know that they hated Sherri too.

"I can't wait to see you," she told her daughter, changing the subject, "Rory's coming home too." She knew the girls had made up their fight, though Rory was lamenting that Christa was super busy.

"I know," Christa commented, "she texted me. I've been super wrapped up with Collin this week and been a bit of a bad twin."

"How is Collin?" Lorelai asked.

"He's good," Christa told her, "he's pretty much the same as ever. Actually, my car is acting a little funny, so I'm getting it looked at—"

"Hopefully not at the dealership," Lorelai interrupted, "they rip you off."

"I know. Collin knows a guy who specializes in sports car," Christa assured him, "but he's in Hartford, so I'm dropping my car off with him, one of the reasons I'm coming down this weekend, but it means I'll be carless until sometime next week. So Collin is playing chauffer. His mom wanted to see him in anyway, since she hasn't seen him in a year, so he's visiting her tonight. He's going to drive me to Stars Hollow tomorrow, he wants to check out the Dragonfly, actually. I've been telling him about it."

"Oh?" Lorelai asked, a little surprised that Christa's boyfriend would be interested in the inn. It didn't mesh with her impression of him as your typical, irresponsible society brat. Though, admittedly, she didn't know him as well as she probably should, given that he'd been involved with her daughter for the last four years.

"His dad's a hotel guy," Christa told her, "Collin would never admit it to his dad, but he's really interested in the business. He grew up learning the ropes and he's curious to see your operation."

"I didn't know that about Collin," Lorelai said, surprised by the revelation, "hotels?"

"Yeah, a dozen hotels all over the world," Christa told her, "all super luxurious. Birch-McCrae."

"I know of them," Lorlai told her, "Birch-McCrae are hotels definitely high end. They cater to the rich and famous. That's Collin's family?"

"Yep," Christa confirmed, "it was started by his great-grandfather. Collin's dad runs the show now. Collin is the only son, he has three half-sisters, so he's expected to take over one day. He hates being forced into it, but he really loves the business, he'll just never tell his dad that."

"Well, then, I look forward to talking business with Collin," Lorelai told her honestly, "however, seriously in four years you never thought to mention the connection? You never thought to say 'guess what Mom, you and Collin have something in common'?"

"You have met Collin's dad, though," Christa reminded her, "it didn't come up then?"

"It might have," Lorelai admitted, "I think I've blocked most of that night, and that awful guy your grandmother tried to set me up with, out of my mind. I'm sure you've never mentioned it since, though."

"Sorry about that," Christa told her," It just never occurs to me, you know? I like to keep my worlds separate."

Lorelai wondered if she the reason for that. She'd made it clear that she didn't really approve of Christa's friends or her lifestyle and she wondered if that disapproval was the reason her daughter made sure her two worlds rarely met.

* * *

"What did you do to your hair?" Francine asked, as soon as Christa arrived on Friday night. "It was so lovely before."

"I felt like a change," Christa said with a smile, giving Francine a kiss. She'd known her grandmother wouldn't approve, but really she didn't care. After all, it was her hair.

Francine frowned. "You are such a beautiful girl and you keep doing odd things to your hair." She sighed. "However, you are in college and it is a time of exploration, so I guess it is to be expected. It could be worse, you could have pierced your face or something."

Christa bit back laugh, knowing that a facial piercing wouldn't just upset her grandparents, Lorelai would have a few things to say about that one. She was actually surprised that Francine was letting the hair go so easily, but since she didn't really want to fight with her grandmother, she would accept it at face value. "How's grandfather?"

Francine looked old and sad. "Not well. He's upstairs in his room. I know he'll be happy that you're here."

Straub was being cared for at home. They had hired a private nurse to care for him and dedicated a couple rooms upstairs for his use. Christa knew he was happier at home than he would be at a hospital and she was glad that he was comfortable.

"I'll head upstairs and say hello to him," Christa told her, "then I'll come down and join you for dinner."

"Do you plans for this evening?" Francine asked her.

"That depends on you," Christa told her sincerely, "I'm only home for one night, so I thought I'd spend the whole evening here with you, if you like."

"That's very sweet, Christine, but I'll likely go to bed early," Francine told her, "so feel free to go out, if there's people you'd like to see. I know you mentioned that your car is in the shop and that a friend dropped you off, so feel free to use mine. You can borrow it this week as well, if you'd like."

"Thanks grandmother," Christa said, giving Francine another kiss. She'd give Collin a call after dinner and see how he was faring at his mother's. They had discussed telling his parents/her grandparents about their relationship yet and she didn't know how he wanted to proceed with that, so meeting up could be tricky.

"Go see your grandfather now and then I'll have Anne serve dinner," Francine instructed.

Christa nodded and headed upstairs towards the suite of rooms that had been set up for Straub.

"Francine, is that you?" She heard her grandfather call out as she approached the door.

"No, it's me," Christa told him, entering the room.

"Christine," Straub said weakly, sitting up in bed, "my dear girl."

Christa was a little surprised by the affection, though it was nice. She crossed the room and took a seat in the chair by Straub's bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Same as ever," he told her. She could see him giving her hair a once over, but he didn't comment. Illness had apparently really mellowed him. "How is Yale?"

"Good, my classes seem interesting," Christa told him, "I know it's not Princeton, but I like being so close to home."

"I like that too." Straub admitted, "It's good of you to visit so often, Christine. Your grandmother and I appreciate the company, but I know that you are young and you have more interesting things to do than spend all your time with a couple of old people."

"You and grandmother are very important to me," Christa said honestly. In the last four years she had developed a very strong relationship with her Hayden grandparents and visiting them now was more than just an obligation. They were her family and she found that she wanted to spend what time she could with Straub and to be a source of strength for Francine. They had given her a refuge when she'd needed it most and she'd always be grateful for that.

"And you to us," Straub told her, "I feel like we made so many mistakes Christopher, but you… You were our second chance and I'm delighted that we had the opportunity to have you with us for so many years. I know I've said in the past that getting your mother pregnant ruined Christopher's life. It certainly ruined our plans for him, but at the same time, it ended up being a blessing, it just took me a long time to see that. I'm delighted that we had the opportunity to have you in our home for so many years. You brought so much joy to this large, empty our and to this sour old man. I know I've never told you have before and I'm sorry about that. I don't know what your grandmother and I would have done these last few years without you, Christine."

"I'm not sure what I would have done with you," Christa told him honestly. "You and grandmother gave me a home, a place to go when I couldn't handle living with Dad and Sherri and I really appreciate that. I appreciate everything you've done for me."

The Haydens were complicated people and she hated that they wouldn't acknowledge Rory, but they had been good to her. It was interesting to hear Straub acknowledge his feelings about how Lorelai getting pregnant had ruined Christopher's life and that he seemed to have moved past some of his bitterness on the subject.

"This will always be your home," Straub told her, "your father hates this place, so once your grandmother and I pass, it will go directly to you."

"Oh." Christa said, a little surprised. She'd never really given any thought to the future or to what would happen when Straub and Francine were gone.

"We've never discussed your future," Straub told her, as if reading her thoughts, "but you should know that one day very soon, you are going to be a very wealthy woman."

"Grandfather…" Christa began, not sure what to say.

"Your grandmother will be taken care of for the rest of her life and she will keep the house, of course," Straub continued, "but she has decided that she has no need for the rest. I have set up a trust fund for your sisters." Christa was surprised by the plural. Straub must have seen the surprise on her face because he continued, "Rory will inherit a trust at 25. I would rather that neither she nor your parents know about it until then though."

Christa nodded, knowing it was his decision, she was just glad that he was leaving something for Rory, whatever his motivations for doing so might be.

"Christopher will inherit a suitable amount," Straub continued, "but everything else is going to be left to you. The London house, the beach house in California, investments, it will all be yours. I've made provisions and God willing, your grandmother will oversee everything until you turn 25."

"Grandfather…" Christa began, not sure what to say. She'd known she'd be left something in Straub's will, but she assumed it would just be a trust fund, similar to what Rory and Gigi were inheriting. The reality was overwhelming.

"I just want you to be prepared, Christine," her grandfather told her, "and I want you to make your choices wisely. One day you are going to be very wealthy and that could make you vulnerable."

Christa knew that he was talking about fortune hunters and she could assure him that that wasn't going to be an issue with her. She tended to be attracted to men in her own social circle, besides Collin's family was richer than hers, so there was no risk there. Not that she'd necessarily end up with Collin, but she was pretty sure her future included marriage to someone like Collin, if not Collin himself.

Straub paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. "If anything happens to your grandmother before you turn 25, I've specified that your mother is to be the trustee."

Christa was stunned, Straub usually pretended that Lorelai didn't exist. Her grandfather was full of surprised today, between naming Lorelai trustee and having a trust for Rory.

"I've never made any secret of my disapproval for some of your mother's choices," Straub told her, "but she is a practical woman. One who I know can be trust to make the right decisions and watch out for your best interests."

Christa just nodded and took Straub's hand. She hated that they had to have this conversation at all. She knew Straub was dying, but she didn't like to think about it. She might not always like her grandparents, but she loved them dearly and she was so grateful for everything they had done for her.

* * *

"This is a nice operation you have here, Lorelai." Collin said sincerely as Lorelai gave hi a tour of the Dragonfly. Christa was off somewhere with Rory, leaving Lorelai and Collin alone for the first time ever. He had been on his best behavior during the tour, very polite, asking questions about the Dragonfly. It was completely at odds with the image Lorelai had formed of him over the years as an over-privileged jerk who encouraged her daughter to make bad decisions. "Bed and breakfasts aren't my area of expertise,| he continued, "but you offer a high level of comfort here and you pay great attention to the details."

"We try," Lorelai told him as she led him to the kitchen, "you need to taste Sookie's food, it's probably our best feature."

"Christa has told me all about Sookie," Collin commented, "and I always listen to Christa's judgment when it comes to food."

"Gilmore girls know their food," Lorelai told him. "Sookie, this is Collin," she introduced once they got to the kitchen.

Sookie stopped what she was doing to give Collin a once-over. "Christa's Collin?"

"Yes ma'am." Collin said politely, reaching out his hand to shake Sookie's. "Christa has told me what an amazing cook you are."

Sookie beamed and immediately set about getting him a plate of full of things to try.

Lorelai watched as Collin easily chatted with the kitchen staff and asked them a few questions. She'd never thought that highly of Collin, she thought he was a bad influence on Christa and that he was a typical rich brat. But, she'd also never spent much time with him, despite the fact that he'd been in Christa's life for so many years. She was starting to think she had judged him too harshly, since there seemed to be more to him than just bored, obnoxious rich kid.

After a few minutes, she and Collin headed to the dining room.

"This food is fantastic," Collin commented once they were seated and he'd had a chance to try the plate Sookie had prepared for him. "Seriously this food is as good, if not better than what is served at my father's hotels and they all have world famous restaurants. Sookie's a treasure."

"She is," Lorelai agreed, with a smile.

"You've only been open for a few months, right?"

"Three months," Lorelai told him, "business is gaining pretty steadily, we have bookings up to next year. I managed an Inn before and it burnt down and we have some loyal customers who were happy to follow us to the Dragonfly."

Collin nodded and then proceeded to ask her a bunch of questions. Lorelai answered all of them and actually asked him a few questions, getting his opinion on some things she'd been considering. She and Collin were still discussing business, Collin was actually giving her some marketing tips, when Rory and Christa joined them.

"What did you think of the Dragonfly?" Christa asked, leaning against his chair.

"It's great," he told her enthusiastically, "it's really impressive how smoothly things are running so soon after the opening. It's a sign of a really solid operation."

"There are horses," Christa informed him with a smile.

"I know, your mother introduced me," Collin said, standing up. "Thank for the tour, Lorelai. Tell Sookie that the food is amazing and that if she wasn't so happy here, I'd tell my father to snap her up in a heartbeat."

"She'll be thrilled with the compliment, but no stealing allowed," Lorelai said with a smile, "thank you for the marketing tips, I'm going to look into them." She stood up and turned to Christa. "Thanks for the visit and have a safe drive back to Yale. Call me often."

"Will do, love you." Christa said, giving her mother a quick him. She did the same with Rory and then grabbed Collin's hand and led him out of the inn.

"Did you have an ok time with Collin?" Rory asked curiously, once the duo was out of sight.

"I did actually," Lorelai told her, "he's very knowledgeable and he was very polite. Very different than my previous impression of him."

"So are you happier about Christa and Collin now?" Rory asked.

"It's not my place to be happy or unhappy," Lorelai told her, "Collin is your sister's choice and I'm happy that she's happy. However, yes, I am glad to know that there is more to him than spoiled, obnoxious society jerk."

"It's kind of cool that his dad is a big hotel guy," Rory commented.

"Yeah," Lorelai agreed, "he had some good suggestions about the inn and he gave me some marketing tips that I'm going to look into."

"Christa seems happy," Rory said wistfully.

"I think she is," Lorelai said softly, she looked at Rory, "are you still avoiding Dean?"

"No, we talked." Rory said quietly. "I just… I don't know. It's weird. I'm not really sure where I want things to go. We're going to date, I think."

Lorelai was silent. She wasn't sure how she felt about Dean and Rory getting back together, but she knew it was none of her business. She had to keep reminding herself that the girls were grown now and that she had to respect that and not meddle. It wasn't always easy. It was odd that she was feeling apprehensive about Rory's reunion with Dean, whom she'd always loved, and was suddenly very optimistic about Christa's reunion with Collin, whom she'd never liked. It was just a reminder that with time, everything changed.


	10. Chapter Nine: Out With the Old

Sugar and Spice: The More Things Change  
By Misha

_Disclaimer and Notes in Prologue._

Chapter Nine: Out with the Old

On Monday night Christa arrived at the location of the LDB meeting, which was taking place at a banquet hall. The LDB never did anything in half measures, so the meeting was a formal occasion and required formal dress. Christa was wearing a tight dark blue dress with a low neckline and a high slit and she'd had her hair done in an elegant up-do for the occasion.

"Are we trying to distract all the men with your boobs? Because if that's the new plan, I say it's succeeding." Stephanie commented as soon as she saw her, but it lacked the bite it would have once had. The year apart had been good for Christa and Stephanie and in the last week, they had actually started to from a genuine friendship, which thrilled Rosemary and Juliet.

"Hey, the notice said we had to arrive in formal attire, this is formal," Christa protested, "plus I figure it'll drive Adams' crazy to see me dressed like the femme fatale he seems to think I am." She took in Stephanie's silver gown, which had a higher neckline than hers and flared instead of clung. It was a different than she preferred, but it looked amazing on Stephanie. "You look pretty fantastic yourself."

"Thanks," Stephanie said with a grin.

The two made their way over to the rest of their friends, who were also appropriately dressed. The women were in ball gowns and the men were all in tuxedos. It was the classiest bunch of miscreants Christa had ever seen. Collin gave Christa a look that let her know he appreciated her dress, then he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close as their group discussed a little last minute strategy.

The room filled up quickly. The Life and Death Brigade had a current membership of 106, not counting the year's new recruits, many of whom hadn't been formally inducted yet and wouldn't be eligible to vote, even if they had. Of that 106, 78 were Legacy members who were eligible to vote, and it appeared that every single one of them had shown up at the meeting. Obviously both sides had succeeded in getting the word out that attendance was important.

It had been a week of crazy campaigning for them, including the party at Logan's, and she was sure that the other side had been pulling out the same stops. It looked like the campaigning had been successful from a numbers standpoint, now they just had to see which side had done the better job.

The current council sat at the front of the room where a small table had been set up. There was also a microphone and platform next to the table. They were the focus of the entire room, which was kind of the point. The rest of the room was filled with round tables as the meeting was also a banquet. Christa had looked over the seating chart when she arrived and noticed that the tables were separated by sides, Adams' cronies on one side of the room, their group on the other and the unaligned in the middle. The two sides were pretty even, so it was all going to come down to the undecideds.

After everyone was seated, Ryan Davies stood up and walked over to the microphone. "Welcome everyone to the first meeting for the 108th session of the Life and Death Brigade."

"In Omnia Paratus!" The crowd chanted.

"For our first order of business, I'll hand the microphone over to Daniel Prescott," Ryan announced.

Christa could see Brandon Adams frowning and knew that he hadn't been told Daniel was going to speak, which meant Daniel had been able to keep his element of surprise. Good, hopefully that would work in their favour.

"Welcome everyone," Daniel began, "I would like to begin by saying how much I've enjoyed being a member of your executive council this past. I am honoured to be a part of the Life and Death Brigade and to have had a part in organizing the events of the last year has been a very exciting time in my life. However, all things must change and this club is one of those things and I look forward to seeing the Life and Death Brigade go in a new direction, but I will be doing it as a regular member and not as part of the council. I hereby formally announce my resignation from the executive council of the Life and Death Brigade."

There was a lot of commotion following his announcement, even from their side. Knowing that secrecy was important, only Christa, Logan and Collin were aware of Daniel's intention to resign. Christa could see that Adams' and his cronies were tense, this was not something they had seen coming and it had definitely thrown them off-guard. Apparently, they had assumed that Logan and Collin would try to keep Daniel as the third member of the council and had based their campaign with that in mind, probably hoping that Ryan and Daniel would split the vote and that Adams' could sneak away with enough of the moderates to win. Christa hoped the dismay on their faces was a sign of things to come.

Ryan stepped back to the podium, while Brandon continued to fume at the table. "Daniel, thank you for your service this past year, you have been valued member of the Life and Death Brigade executive council and you will be missed." He paused, obviously struggling to keep his face neutral. "There is now officially an opening on the executive council and the floor is open to interested parties."

Logan stood up and walked to the front of the room before anyone else could react.

"I claim a spot, as is my right as a member of a founding family," Logan announced to the room.

Logan's announcement, unlike Daniel's, had been expected, so the reaction was more controlled.

"Council spots are reserved for members in 'good standing', doesn't taking off for a year mean you are no longer in good standing?" Meryl Bryant, a girl who Christa couldn't stand, called out from her table.

Ah, so that was the tactic Adams' and his gang were going with, trying to block Logan and Collin from being eligible for membership. Interesting. Also, pointless.

"That rule only applies to general election," Logan said calmly, "in the LDB charter it says, and I quote, 'if at all possible the council must be made up of members from the seven original families. Any male member of these families in his third or fourth year at Yale, is automatically eligible. Council will be decided with a vote of all Legacy members in their second year or more, except when it involves members of the original families, as they are automatically guaranteed a spot. If the council is made up of less than three members from founding families and a member of one of those families becomes eligible, he is automatically given a spot and a non-founding member is asked to step down.' The Huntzbergers were a founding family, I'm in my third year and I'm male, which means I'm eligible for the council and I claim my spot."

"And I claim mine," Collin said, joining Logan at the front, "As a McCrae, I am also eligible for a spot on the council and I'm claiming my spot."

This garnered a little bit more of a reaction from the crowd. Yes, most people knew it was coming, but the idea of a coup was still exciting and there was nothing a crowd of bored, over-privileged college students liked more than a little excitement.

Ryan stood up again and approached the podium. Apparently, he was acting in the role of MC tonight, which was interesting. She wondered if he had maneuvered it that way on purpose. She wasn't Ryan's biggest fan, she thought he was dull and spineless, but she realized that his attitude of always looking out for Number One might work for them this time. Obviously he didn't want to lose his cushy council spot and maybe that meant he had done some of their work for them. She could only hope.

"The charter is very clear in the fact that male members of the Hubert, Huntzberger, Jamison, O'Henry, Kent, McCrae and Gilmore families, who are in their last two years at Yale, are automatically granted council spots," Ryan announced, "since Collin McCrae and Logan Huntzberger are both claiming their rightful spots and we have only one current vacancy on the council, the Life and Death Brigade must now vote and decide on the third member of the executive council. As there are two existing council members, the vote is not eligible to nominations and must be decided between Brandon and myself, unless one of us chooses to resign. Brandon, are you willing to step down?"

Brandon was still glowering as he stepped forward. "No."

"Neither am I," Ryan announced, "which means we must now vote. This meeting was only open to Legacy members in their second year or more, which means everyone here is eligible to vote. In a moment names will be called and you will be asked to come up and write your vote on a ballot."

There was more murmuring from the crowd and a few moments of organization and then Ryan began the roll call.

"Brandon Michael Adams."

"I wonder who he's voting for," Juliet whispered with a laugh.

Christa giggled, while Stephanie's face went white. "They call out our full names?" She asked in obvious horror.

"I guess so," Christa said with a shrug as a few more names were called out.

Stephanie downed her drink and then reached for Juliet's and downed that as well.

"Hey!" Juliet exclaimed.

"Don't even think about it," Christa warned, putting her hand over her drink. Seth, Robert and Andrew all did the same.

"Stephanie Gertrude Carrington."

Stephanie groaned and Christa fought a laugh. Now she understood where Stephanie's dismay was coming from, Gertrude was not a great middle name.

"Do you have plans this weekend?" Stephanie asked Christa and Juliet when she got back to her seat.

"It's Monday, I barely know what I'm doing tomorrow, let alone in four days," Juliet drawled.

"Well, now you do," Stephanie told her, "my father owed me for my public humiliation so I'm going to go shopping and spend lots of his money. You two and Rosemary are coming with me."

"Sure," Christa agreed, she was always up for shopping, "but why wait until the weekend?"

"I don't want to go local shopping." Stephanie told her. "I'm up for New York City shopping. It's only a couple hours, we can take the train and relax and if we go on Friday, we can make a weekend out of it. We'll do some serious shopping, stay at a nice hotel, and maybe hit up a couple clubs."

"I'm in!" Juliet squealed.

"Sounds good to me, I'm always up for a weekend in New York." Christa told her, just as her name was called.

"Christine Marie Gilmore-Hayden."

"You have a nice name," Stephanie muttered.

Christa just laughed and cast her ballot. She could feel Brandon Adams' hostile stare on her the entire time. She was sure that he had decided that she had engineered the situation. Determined to ignore him, she returned to her seat and chattered with Stephanie and Juliet as the rest of the names were called out.

After what seemed like forever, Ryan took the vote box and brought it up to the podium. He took a ballot out of the box and read it out loud, holding it out for everyone to see.

Christa sat nervous as the ballots were tallied. It was close. It seemed like for every vote for Ryan, there was a vote for Brandon. In the end, it came down to a difference of seven votes, but Ryan Davies was voted back in as the third member of the executive council.

"Yes!" Seth exclaimed, earning him glares from a table of Adams' supporters.

Christa rushed out of her seat and up to the front and Collin and Logan. She threw her arms around Collin and he picked her up and spun her around before giving her a deep kiss.

"We did it!" She told him happily.

"We did," he agreed, "Baby, this year is going to be the best ever."

She beamed up at him, feeling on top of the world. Her boys were back, she and Stephanie were becoming friends, she and Rory had made up, she and Collin were back together and now they had reclaimed the LDB. Life was pretty much perfect. She was too happy to even care about Brandon Adams' and the looks of hatred he was sending her and Collin. Besides, what could he do to her now? It was over, he'd lost.


	11. Chapter Ten: The Life She Chose

Sugar and Spice: The More Things Change  
By Misha

_Disclaimer and Notes in Prologue._

Chapter Ten: The Life She Chose

"What your plans for the weekend?" Rory asked Christa over breakfast on Wednesday morning. "Can I convince you to come to Stars Hollow for more than a quick visit?"

She appreciated that her sister had come to see their mom, but it had sort of sucked that it was such a quick visit. Plus Collin had been there for most of it, so it was a little odd. Rory wanted some time with just her mom and Christa, hanging out in proper Gilmore girl style.

"No can do," Christa told her, "I'm headed to New York on Friday afternoon and I won't be back until Sunday evening."

"You and Collin?" Rory asked, thinking that was fast. They had been back together for less than two weeks and already they were off on a romantic weekend?

"Yes and no," Christa answered, "he is coming along, but my plans are actually with Juliet, Rosemary and Stephanie. We decided we needed a shopping trip and the boys decided to tag along, which is fine with us, because Collin booked us into his dad's hotel."

"Sounds like fun," Rory commented, though she couldn't imagine just taking off on a shopping weekend on a whim. She also couldn't imagine being able to afford to do so, though granted her boyfriend's father didn't own a chain of luxury hotels. However, in general, she knew that Christa's finances were very different than hers. It wasn't something they really talked about, but Rory knew that the Haydens were paying for Yale outright and that Christa had an allowance from them, a generous one by the sounds of things. Now, she knew her Gilmore grandparents would be happy to do something similar for her, but the idea of having them help with anything more than paying for Yale, and that was a loan, seemed wrong to Rory. She and Christa were very different in that regard.

"Are you going to Stars Hollow this weekend?" Christa asked.

"Yeah, I have Friday Night Dinner," Rory reminded her, "plus I have plans with Dean."

Christa was quiet for a moment. "Right, you guys are back together now. How's that going?"

"It's weird," Rory admitted, "it's not what I expected. I mean, I think I'll always love Dean, but… It doesn't feel like I thought I would. I'm not sure I slept with him for the right reasons. I think I was scared and lonely and…"

"And he was familiar and comfortable." Christa finished for her.

"Yeah," Rory agreed, "but after everything, I felt like we needed to go somewhere. Otherwise all that misery was for nothing, but it's odd. It's not… It's not what it was."

"It couldn't be," Christa told her quietly, "people change and so does love. I mean, yes, Collin and I got back together, but it's not exactly the same as it was. We've both changed, but we've changed in ways that works well as a couple, I think we're better suited now than we were a year ago. Have you and Dean changed in the same ways? Maybe it wasn't meant to be a second chance, maybe it was just something that you both needed to get out of your system. He married another woman while he was still in love with you, that wasn't good for anyone, and after Jess, well Dean would look even more appealing and it's natural that you would wonder if you made the worse mistake of your life."

Rory took in her sister's advice, realizing that she had a lot to think about. "When did you get so wise?"

Christa laughed. "It comes from making more mistakes than you ever will." She looked at her watch. "I hate to ditch you like this, but I have class."

"Breakfast tomorrow?" Rory asked her.

Christa shook her head. "No, I don't have morning classes tomorrow and I'm staying over at Collin's tonight, so it won't be an early morning for me. I can do dinner tomorrow night or breakfast Friday though, I'll text you and set up plans."

* * *

"Apparently you've had a busy week," Lorelai commented when she got a hold of Christa Wednesday evening, "you've been neglecting me."

She hadn't talked to Christa since Monday afternoon and while occasionally that happened, generally they talked at least once every day so after two days, Lorelai decided to track her daughter down and make sure everything was alright.

"Sorry," Christa apologized, "yesterday was crazy, since I had to go to Hartford and pick up my car and all that jazz and I was going to call, but then I remembered you had a date with Luke. I was actually just about to call you, before I headed out."

"My busy girl," Lorelai commented, "plans with Collin?"

"Bad movies and lots of take-out," Christa told her.

"Sounds like a perfect night," Lorelai told her, "what are your plans for the weekend? Do you have a packed schedule or can your mom steal a visit?"

"I'm going to New York for the weekend," Christa told her, "We're taking the train down Friday afternoon and doing some shopping and then staying the weekend."

"Oh and what prompted this trip?" Lorelai asked, though it wasn't unusual for Christa to take spontaneous trips. For example, last winter, she'd randomly decided she was freezing, so she took a three day trip to the Hayden's California beach house. The Haydens provided well for Christa and Lorelai knew that Christa was happy to let them. Sometimes that attitude baffled Lorelai. She'd hated that life, she'd always had the need to make her own way in the world, to work hard and stand on her own two feet. Christa, on the other hand, seemed perfectly happy letting her grandparents provide her with a life of luxury. Lorelai had to remind herself that she wasn't Christa and that it was Christa's life, not hers.

"Stephanie decided that she needed revenge on her father for giving her Gertrude as a middle name and she's dragging the rest of us along with her," Christa said with a laugh.

"I'm assuming there's a reason she's decided she needs revenge at the age of twenty-one, but I won't ask," Lorelai commented, with Christa she had learnt it was best not to ask too many questions, "so it's a girl's weekend then?"

"The boys are joining us on Saturday," Christa told her, "and we're going to stay at Collin's dad's hotel, which is awesome. It should be fun. Some shopping, plus eating at fancy restaurants where I'm going to horrify by actually eating and Juliet will be there, so I get to eat my dinner and hers. We'll be staying in a luxury hotel with an awesome spa and we'll probably hit up a club or two."

"Is this where I remind you that you're 19?" Lorelai asked her daughter, though she knew that had never stopped Christa in the past. She was certain that Christa had a fake ID, though Christa had learnt from past mistakes and made sure that she had never seen it.

Christa just laughed.

Lorelai sighed. "Be careful and don't get arrested, your grandmother would never let me live it down."

"I won't," Christa promised, "I can come to Stars Hollow next weekend if you want? I have plans the weekend after, but next weekend I'm free and I thought I'd go down and see Straub and Francine again."

"You've been going down a lot," Lorelai commented, "how is your grandfather doing?" Personally she still had a lot of anger towards Christopher's father, but Christa loved him and that mattered to Lorelai.

"Not well," Christa said softly, "but he seems to like my visits, so I want to go as often as I can. I know you hate them and I know why, but… They did their best by me."

"I know sweetheart," Lorelai said quietly, "and that's the reason I don't hate them." She didn't like them and she'd never forgive them for ignoring Rory, but she couldn't deny that they had doted on Christa. Though, she didn't always like the results of that affection. She loved her daughter dearly, but at time she worried about her. In many ways, Christa was more aimless than Rory, she had no real goal or career path in mind after Yale. She had gone to college because it was what was expected of her, not because she had any real ambition. There was a good chance that she would become another society wife, just like her grandmothers. It was a life that Lorelai would have hated, but Christa seemed perfectly ok with the idea.

"Well, have fun this weekend," Lorelai told her, "call me before you leave on Friday and then I want to hear all the details when you get back."

Christa laughed. "Do you really want all the details?"

Lorelai paused. "Fine, when you get back, call me and tell me the clean, fun parts that are appropriate to tell your mother."

"Will do," Christa agreed, "love you Mom."

"Love you too," Lorelai told her. She sighed as she hung up the phone. A part of her had hoped that one day Christa would wake up and decide that she no longer wanted to live in her grandparents' world or at least that she wanted more from life. When Christa had changed her mind about postponing Yale to sail around on a yacht for a year, Lorelai had secret hoped that that day had come, but a year later, Christa still seemed as content with her society girl life as ever.

Lorelai always said that Christa was the daughter most like her. She was the rebel, the wild child, and yet, in the end, Christa was proving that she was the opposite of Lorelai. Instead of fighting her way out of that world, it looked like she felt at home there. Maybe that was what bothered Lorelai the most, the thought that Christa was living the life Lorelai had never wanted and had run away from.

* * *

"Did you max out your credit card?" Collin asked Christa on Saturday night after he and the other guys had arrived at the hotel. The girls had finished their shopping for the day so that they could meet the boys and now everyone was doing their own thing for a while.

Christa and Collin were relaxing in their hotel room.

"No," Christa commented, resting her head on Collin's chest, "I mean, I did a little damage—I bought this super sexy dress for tonight."

"I like the sound of that," Collin told her, running his fingers through her hair, "though I think I'd like it better if we weren't going out with half a dozen other people."

Christa grinned, "I bought a few other things you'll like too. Nothing that will get me summoned to Hartford though." Her grandparents were very generous with her, but while Rory was often horrified by her spending and Lorelai didn't exactly approve either, in comparison to a lot of her friends, she lived pretty modestly. However, she did enjoy some of the nicer things in life and Straub's little announcement meant that that never had to change.

"Speaking of being summoned, I got an interesting phone call on my way up here," Collin told her.

"Oh?" Christa asked lazily.

"The disadvantage of staying at a hotel that my father owns is that he gets notified whenever I book a room," Collin told her, "and he also gets informed when a female guest checks into said room, though the person ratting me out didn't actually disclose your name. So I got a phone call demanding to know which floozy I was spending the weekend with in his hotel."

Christa grinned and sat up so she could see Collin's face. "And what did you tell him?"

"That you were the floozy," Collin said with a grin, sitting up as well, "I've never rendered my father speechless before, it was a nice feeling. When he regained his speech, he proceeded to tell me how glad he was that I had come to my senses and that you had lost yours and agreed to take me back."

"Hey, what can I say?" Christa asked, leaning her head on his shoulder,"I am a great catch and you're lucky to have me."

"My father agrees with you," Collin said dryly, "unfortunately he is also in New York this weekend and has demanded that we have lunch with him tomorrow before we go home."

Christa shrugged. "That's fine with me, I like your father."

"That makes one of us," Collin told her, "though he is temporarily between wives and that tends to make him a little more bearable. I guess I should be grateful that he's picked you out to be his daughter-in-law and not wife #7."

Christa shuddered. "Thank God." She pulled away from Collin. "Does that mean we're official now? Like telling our families official?"

"Does that bother you?" Collin asked her with a frown.

Christa shook her head. "Not really. I mean, it doesn't affect me the same way it does you. My parents already know. My grandparents and your parents are likely to be obnoxious about it, but we can handle it. I just… I wanted to check with you before I said anything. I wanted to make sure that it wasn't going weird you out or anything."

Collin pulled her onto his lap. "I'm sure I'll find it tedious, especially since they're going to start planning our wedding immediately, but what they do doesn't affect us. I want to be with you, Christa, I want to see where this going. I don't plan on getting married tomorrow, but I'm not going to run screaming in the other direction if the subject comes up. Besides, I already offered to marry you once, remember?"

Christa laughed, remembering the conversation they'd had after her coming out. "Yes, I remember you saying that since we were both expected to make a good marriage one day, we should just marry each other, since at least we could stand each other's company."

"That alone gives us an advantage over most of the couples in our social circle," Collin pointed out with a laugh, "Seriously, though, I'm not going to freak out just because my parents and your grandparents are going to start planning our future. I'll just resolve to ignore them and you and I can continue just seeing where this takes us, okay?"

"Okay," Christa agreed. She and Collin were a long way from being ready for marriage, but she if they did get there some day, she would be okay with that. She had known for years that she would graduate from an Ivy League school and then she would be expected to marry a rich, socially acceptable man. She knew her mother hated the idea, but it didn't bother her as much as she thought it should. She had no real career ambitions, no real plans for after graduation, one of the many things that made her so different than her twin.


	12. Chapter Eleven: One Hell of A Story

Sugar and Spice: The More Things Change  
By Misha

_Disclaimer and Notes in Prologue._

Chapter Eleven: One Hell of a Story

Rory walked into the Yale Daily New office, ready to talk to Doyle, her editor, about the anonymous tip she'd received. She'd spent the last two weeks researching and she thought that there was definitely a story there. She hadn't found anything concrete, but she thought she was headed in the right direction.

She still had no idea who had called her or why they had chosen her out of all the reporters on the Daily News staff, she would have thought someone like Glen, who'd recently been published in the Times, would make more sense, but she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. This could be an amazing opportunity for her.

She got to the office just before the staff meeting started and she got her assignment for the week, the features beat which would be the perfect place for her secret society story. Assuming Doyle okayed it and assuming she could find enough hard evidence to actually come up with a story, but she was thinking positively.

"Doyle?"

"Yes, Gilmore."

"I have an idea for the features beat that I want to run by you," Rory began and then stopped, caught off guard by the sight of a familiar face entering the newspaper office.

"Oh no," Doyle muttered, following her gaze.

"What's wrong?" Rory asked, glancing back at Logan. She wondered what he was doing here and what was triggering Doyle's reaction.

"He's back," Doyle commented with a tone that forecasted impending doom.

Rory was about to question him further, when Logan approached them. In an instant, Doyle's expression changed and all traces of annoyance vanished.

"Doyle, my friend," Logan greeted, shaking Doyle's hand. He turned to Rory. "Hi, Rory, it's good to see you again." He turned his attention back to Doyle. "You're looking very well, how have you been?"

"I've been great, Logan," Doyle gushed, "but I'm better now. It's great to have you back."

"Yeah, well, I stayed away as long as I could, but the Yale Daily News called to me," Logan drawled.

"Of course," Doyle said, "How's everything? How's the family?"

Logan seemed amused by Doyle's obvious attempt at sucking up, "everything's fine; the family's the family…" He looks over at the corner. "Ah, my desk is free. Beautiful."

"Um, you know, Logan, I didn't know when you were coming back," Doyle said nervously, "and I gave out the beats already."

"That's fine," Logan said with a shrug, "I'll take whatever you've got left."

"Actually there are none left," Doyle said apologetically.

Logan grinned. "Perfect, that was the one I wanted. Doyle, we both know that I'm just here for the pretty picture in my father's head. I'm not going to be any trouble at all, you'll barely know I'm here."

Rory was intrigued by the scene that was unfolding in front of her. She wondered why Logan was there at all, since he obviously had no interest in actually working on the paper, and what his father had to do with it. It was weird how little she knew about him given that he was one of her sister's best friends.

"Oh, Logan, please." Doyle said in a super enthusiastic voice that made Rory fight to keep from rolling her eyes. "You trouble? Stop. We're just glad to have you back."

Logan looked amused. "It's good to be back. I'll be at my desk if you need me." He said, nodding at them both. "Rory, it was nice to see you again, I'm sure I'll see you around." He then headed to a desk in the corner, sat down and put his feet up.

"How do you know Logan?" Doyle demanded as soon as the man in question was out of earshot.

"He's one of my twin sister's closest friends." Rory told him.

"But you're not friends?" Doyle asked, giving her an appraising look.

"No," Rory answered, "I barely know him."

Doyle lowered his voice. "He's a real piece of work. Did you know that he and his friends took a year off to sail around the world on a yacht?"

"I did," Rory told him, "my sister was actually invited to go with them, but she decided to come to Yale instead."

"Apparently your sister, and I didn't know you even had a sister, has some sense," Doyle commented, "anyway Logan and his cronies sunk the yacht and spent six months hanging out on a beach in Fiji until their parents summoned them home and now he's our problem again."

"Why is he here?" Rory asked. "He doesn't seem that interested and I wouldn't have picked him the type to do, well anything."

"His father makes him," Doyle told her.

"His father?" Rory asked, realizing she had no idea what Logan's last name was or anything about him really. He had been friends with her sister for four years, was a huge part of Christa's life, and yet it had never come up. Huh.

"His father's Mitchum Huntzberger," Doyle told her, "I guess you really don't know him that well."

"Mitchum Huntzberger?" Rory asked in disbelief. "The newspaper guy?" How could Christa not have mentioned that she hung out with Mitchum Huntzberger's son? That was the kind of connection that Rory was dying to have and all this time Christa had been holding out on her. Of course, it had taken Christa four years to mention to their mother that her boyfriend's father was a hotel magnate, so there was a precedent of Christa not bothering to share information. She really did like to keep her worlds separate.

"The guy who owns at least twelve different papers," Doyle confirmed, "I've spent two years kissing Logan's ass. Guess it's time to pucker up again."

"Good luck with that," Rory told him dryly, "now about my story."

"What are you thinking?" Doyle asked, glancing over at Logan, who had pulled his fedora over his head and appeared to be taking a nap.

"I got a phone call last week from an anonymous source telling me to investigate the phrase 'In Omnia Paratus' and hinting that there was a Secret Society here at Yale." Rory told him.

"Sounds interesting," Doyle told her with a nod, "did you follow up with research?"|

"Of course," Rory answered, "I googled the phrase, not sure what I was looking for, but then I found this. See, it links the phrase with a club here at Yale. It's sort of a secret society kind of Skull and Bones kind of creepy group dating back to the 1800's. This phrase was their motto. Now, that alone, not that interesting. But here, look." Rory showed him the picture she had found and printed off of people jumping off a bridge holding umbrellas, with the phrase _In Omnia Paratus_ scrolled across the bottom. "I found the picture in a 1996 edition of the Yale Daily News. It was in an article about whether or not the club really exists."

Doyle looked impressed. "The Life and Death Brigade. I've heard of them."

"Oh?" Rory asked, a little deflated.

Doyle shrugged. "They're apparently even more elusive than the Skull and Bones crowd. 'Course they've never been linked to masturbating in a coffin so I automatically like these guys better."

"Do you know anything else?" Rory asked, wondering if her scoop wasn't actually that big a deal after all.

Doyle shook his head. "Not much. The paper's tried to track them down before, and we've gotten a few leads, but no one's ever gotten close enough to confirm anything. We all know they exist, but, we don't know they exist. God I hate those stupid clubs."

"Well, someone gave me the lead for a reason," Rory told him, "and I want to know why. Do you mind if I track this one down and see what I can find?"

"Go for it." Doyle told her. "If you could, it would be a Hell of a story."


	13. Chapter Twelve: On His Own

Sugar and Spice: The More Things Change  
By Misha

_Disclaimer and Notes in Prologue._

Chapter Twelve: On His Own

"Hey Dad, what's up?" Christa asked, answering her cellphone as she walked back to her dorm after class.

"Can't I just want to talk to my daughter?" Christopher asked her and something in his tone made her suspicious.

"You can, but I don't think that's why you called since I saw you two days ago," Christa told him, "how's Texas?"

She'd gone to see her Dad on Sunday and had actually ended up driving him to the airport. Her father seemed to be travelling a lot, actually, which definitely wasn't improving things between him and Sherri. Sherri had seemed pissed at Christopher for all the business trips and for having to put her career on the back burner.

Christopher sighed. "I had to come home. Sherri left."

"Left for where?" Christa asked, not daring to hope.

"For Paris," Christopher answered, "she took a job there and she left Gigi with me."

"Oh shit." Christa swore. She wasn't at all sad that her father and Sherri had broken up, for real this time, since she'd never made any secret of her hatred for Sherri, but she felt sick for her baby sister. It would be pretty awful to be abandoned by your mom, even when you were too young to really know.

"I feel like I'm in over my head," Christopher confessed, "I feel like I have no idea how to take care of her on my own."

"You've done this before," Christa reminded him, "and I survived."

"You did more than that, you turned out pretty great," Christopher told her, "however, I take zero credit for that."

"You deserve a lot of credit," Christa told him, "I mean, you made some mistakes along the way, but you and I made a pretty good team for a long time."

"Thanks kiddo," Christopher told her, "I just… I'm terrified of doing it all over again. With you I was too young to know how out of my depth I was, but this time I know how bad I am at this and I always had your mom or your grandparents to bail me out and I don't have that this time. It's all on me."

"If you need help, you can call me," Christa promised and then paused, reconsidering that suggestion, "or maybe Rory. Or mom, how about you call mom if you need help?"

She knew her mother was dating Luke now and she respected that and she was happy for Lorelai, plus she liked Luke, even if she didn't have the same attachment to him Rory did. However, her parents had been friends for a long time and she knew that if asked her mom would help Christopher out. In Lorelai's shoes, Christa didn't think she would be willing to even be in the same room as Gigi, but Lorelai was a better person than she was.

"Do you think that's a good idea?" Christopher asked her cautiously. "Rory mentioned that your mom was seeing someone."

"She is and she's happy, so please don't do anything to mess with that," Christa warned him, "but she's still Mom and you guys have a history and you know that if you're in a jam, she'll always help you out." There was a silence and Christa added, "I'll talk to her, ok?"

"Thanks sweetheart," Christopher told her, "I just… I messed up bad in the past and I know that and I feel terrible going to her your mom when I need help. Especially since I haven't been all that reliable in the past and I've let her down too many times. It's not like I've been a great father either. Your sister barely talks to me and you prefer to live with my parents than with me."

Christa was quiet, she knew her father had been devastated by her decision and she hated hurting him, hated how strained their relationship had been after that, but at the time it had seemed like the right answer. Two years later, she was still sure she had made the right decision. She had been drowning in her anger and her grandparents had offered her a life raft and no matter what her father had accused at the time, it hadn't been a decision she'd made easily.

"It wasn't you," Christa said finally. "Or at least it wasn't just you."

"I know," Christopher said quietly, "I'm sorry, Christa. Sorry that I put you in a position where you felt that you were no longer welcome in my home. I never wanted you to feel like that."

"It's ok," Christa told him, "I liked Hartford and I got to finish high school with Rory and Straub and Francine aren't too bad once you know how to get around them. You did the right thing sticking by Sherri, Dad. I always knew that and I was a brat about it. I was just disappointed."

"You were seventeen and your whole world had just crashed down on you," Christopher reminded her, "you handled it better than a lot of people a lot older than you would have. Hell, I was supposed to be the mature adult and I handled it badly. I lost my temper and acted like a jerk. When you left to go live with your grandparents… It was the worst thing that's ever happened to, Christa, and these past two years when things have been so rough between us… I'm used to it with Rory, and I know that's all my fault, but you… You've always been my girl and I screwed that up."

"You didn't screw it up too badly and I'll always be your girl," Christa told him, "Fresh start ok, Daddy? I'm coming to Hartford this weekend and I'll do what I can to help with Gigi. Or at least I'll cook dinner and clean the apartment."

"I love you kiddo," Christopher told her.

"I love you too," Christa told him, "I'll see you this weekend and I'll give Mom a call and beg her to help you out until then."

* * *

"Hey babe, what's up?" Lorelai asked with a smile.

"Hey mom," Christa began and something in her voice alarmed Lorelai.

"Are you ok?" She demanded. She'd talked to Christa the night before, hearing the details of her trip, and everything had been great, so what had changed in less than 24 hours?

"I'm fine," Christa assured her and then took a deep breath, "Mom, Sherri left dad. She took a job in Paris."

Lorelai was quiet for a moment. "Oh." She wasn't sure how she felt about that. On one hand, she'd moved on, but it did still feel like fate was having fun at her expense. "Your dad must be upset. I'm sure he misses Gigi."

"Gigi's still with dad," Christa told her, "Sherri packed up and left her with the Nanny and took off without telling Dad."

Lorelai blinked, trying to process the news. That was an interesting development. She didn't particularly like Sherri, but it still surprised her to hear that she would ditch her child. It definitely made Lorelai think less of her. Her heart went out to Christopher, who was probably very overwhelmed right now. "How is he doing?"

"I don't know how he feels about Sherri leaving," Christa said quietly, "but he's panicking a bit about Gigi. Actually, that's why I'm calling. I think he could use a little help getting adjusted. I mean, yeah, he raised me, but that was a long time ago and, well, he had help. I think he's worried about doing it on his own."

"I understand," Lorelai said softly been. She remembered how panicked Chris had been at the beginning with Christa. A part of her was still amazed that he had stepped up and volunteered to take her and that she had let him. They had both been acting out of desperation and it had been the only solution they could come up with. It was a moment that had changed Lorelai's life forever…

_"I need to get out of here, Chris." Lorelai told him, fighting back tears. She didn't want to cry, not even in front of Christopher, but she was near the end of her rope. Her parents were out at some function and Chris had come by to visit the twins and he'd caught her at a vulnerable moment._

_"I know," Christopher told her. Lorelai had half-expected him to take advantage of the moment and try and convince her to marry him, but he didn't. "I feel the same way. It's been awful at my parents' place. I didn't go to Princeton this fall like my father wanted and I can feel his disapproval every time he looks at me. I needed to get out. I found a place and a job. I moved out this morning, that's what I came here to tell you. It's still in Hartford, it's just not my parents' place."_

_Lorelai was impressed that he'd actually moved out. One of the things that kept her from marrying Christopher was that he lacked drive, he never seemed to be able to follow through on anything. He must have been truly miserable to get up the guts to leave his parents' place and to make his own way in the world. She was envious, since she hadn't been able to bring herself to do the same, of course, it was a little harder because she had the twins to care for her and he just had himself._

_"God, I want that so badly," Lorelai told him, "it's all I think about. I figure I can leave, get a job and find a place to live. I'm young, strong and I'm not afraid of hard work. I just don't know how to do it with twins. I mean, it's a lot easier to work around one baby, then two." She looked at her two little girls and wondered if she'd ever be able to get them out of her parent's house._

_"I'll take one," Chris offered suddenly._

_Lorelai stared at him. "What?"_

_"I'll take one of the girls to live with me," Chris told her, "My place is a basement apartment and it's big enough for a baby. I'm renting from a friend and I'm working for him, I'm sure he won't mind be bringing the baby along. Its paper work, helping him get his business off the ground."_

_Lorelai couldn't believe what she was hearing. Chris had barely changed a diaper this past year and yet here he was offering to have one of the babies live with him? It seemed like a crazy idea, but at the same time she needed out and she couldn't figure out a way to do that with both girls. Chris was their father and here he was offering her help, so she felt like she had to take it. "Just for now," she agreed finally, "just until I get on my feet. I don't want to separate them for too long."_

But in the end, it hadn't been temporary and she'd never gotten Christa back and the girls had been raised separately. Almost twenty years later, Lorelai still regretted all the she'd missed with Christa over there years. They had a great relationship and thankfully, she'd only sacrificed living with Christa and she'd still been able to be a big part of her life, but for part of that time, her daughter had been on a different coast and that had meant missing out on some of the important moments in Christa's life.

Yet, despite her regrets, Lorelai knew that she'd done the right thing for the situation she'd been in. She'd needed to get out of her parents' house and in his own way, Christopher had needed to prove himself capable of stepping up to the plate and he had. For all his faults, and for all the times he'd dropped the ball with Rory, he had done a great job with Christa. Still, while she had done what she'd had to, the consequences still haunted her. She'd never imagined not being able to raise her own child.

That was why she couldn't muster any sympathy or understanding for Sherri. How could you just take off and leave your child behind? Letting Chris raise Christa had been the hardest decision of Lorelai's life and she'd still been an active part of Christa's life.

"Do you think your dad needs help?" Lorelai asked after a moment.

"I know he does," Christa told her, "I'd offer to help him, but I'm terrible with babies, and Francine is too busy taking care of Straub to be of any help to him. Plus, I suspect that at this point, she thinks he should be able to parent on his own. I hate to ask you, but…"

"Can I give your dad a hand?" Lorelai finished for her. "Of course I can. Your dad and I are friends, Christa, we have been for a long time. Whatever has happened between us over the years has never changed that, or has it changed the fact that I care about him. So of course I'll help.|

"Luke won't mind?" Christa sked hesitantly.

Lorelai paused. Things were so new with Luke and so different than any of her past relationships. She hated bringing her Christopher baggage into her relationship, yet at the same time, it had to happen eventually, because Christopher was always going to be a part of her life, for better or worse.

"I'll talk things over with Luke," she promised her daughter, "and I'll go help your dad out."


End file.
